Linguistic DNA - Concept Modelling Demonstrator

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	lord_n	multitude_n	psal_n	2,055	5	7.5039	4	false

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85486	The right vvay: or A direction for obtaining good successe in a weighty enterprise. Set out in a sermon preached on the 12th of September, 1648. before the Lords on a day of humiliation for a blessing on a treaty between His Majesties and the Parliaments commissioners. / By W. Gouge.	Gouge, William, 1578-1653.	1648 (1648)	Wing G1394; Thomason E463_1; ESTC R202327	28,997	43

pleased to pardon it It was an earnest praier in this case that he poured out who thus praied For thy names sake O Lord pardon mine iniquitie for it is great Psal 25. 11. And again thus According to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions Psal 51. 1. The other is that God would work in us repentance as he who thus praied Turn thou me and I shall be turned for thou art the Lord my God Jer. 31. 18. The more dangerous the temptations unto sin whereunto we are subject are and the more hainous the sins are whereinto we have fallen the more earnest ought our praiers in this case to be Judgements How judgements to be praied against against which extraordinary praier is to be made are such as are threatned and in that respect to be feared or executed and in that respect felt Against the former Ipse Dominus frequenter suam mutat sententiam Nam proposuerat percutere morte perdere populuÌ„ sed postea rogatus Ã Moyse reconciliatus est populo suo Ambr Offic. l 3. c. 12. the King and people of Nineveh fasted and cried mightily unto God Jon. 3. 7 8. Thus was that doom reversed and judgment prevented The like may be done in a preparation to a judgment before it be put into execution Haman had prepared a terrible massacre to destroy all the Jews but before his cruell plot began to be put in execution Mordecai Esther and all the Jews Fasted three daies together Esth 4. 16 17. Thus the execution of that judgement so prepared was prevented Execution of judgement may be considered either in the beginning or in the full accomplishment of it A judgement was begun when the Philistims were gathered together to Mizpeh but Samuel cried unto the Lord and the Lord destroied them before Israel 1 Sam. 7. 7 10. On Manasseh the judgement was executed to the full in that he was taken by his enemy bound with fetters and carried to Babylon but when he was in affliction he besought the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly and so was freed from that judgement For he was brought again into his kingdome 2 Chron. 33. 12 13. As extraordinary praier in these and other like cases is to be made on our own behalf so also on the behalf of others Moses his mighty praiers by one of which God was moved to say Let me alone and in another Moses himself was moved thus to say If thou wilt not forgive their sin blot me I pray thee out of thy book c. were made in the behalf of others Exod. 32. 10 32. Weighty grounds there are to presse this point of extraordinary praier in extraordinary cases Reasons for extraordinary praier 1. 1 Thereby is shewed how we are affected with Gods dealing with us We shew thereby that we take notice of Gods foot-steps that is of his carriage towards us and of his dealing with us 2. We give evidence that we are answerably affected In that according to the need wherein we stand of his favour we doe the more earnestly seek it and the more heavily we feel his hand lying upon us the more deeply we are humbled and doe the more earnestly desire that it may be removed from us Surely such a disposition cannot be but very acceptable unto God God much approves those who prize his favour and blessing above all other things and who are much grieved upon the apprehension of his displeasure against them Now extraordinary praier for obtaining his favour and blessing or for removing his wrath and judgements gives proof of such a disposition Nonne oratio sic tepida est vel potius frigida pene nulla ut neque hoc in nobis cum dolore advertamus Aug ad Simplic l. 1. quaest 2. There are many who like mill-horses still going round in their usuall tract content themselves with an ordinary manner of praying and never take the occasions which by the divine providence are offered for extraordinary praier So cold are their praiers and livelesse as they are never troubled at the fruitlesnesse of them but think all is well in that they are not such Atheists as never call upon God These plainly discover that small or no notice at all that they take of Gods dealing with them Yea they doe further discover a senslesse and wretched disposition in that they care not to use the means that are sanctified for obtaining the good things whereof they stand in need or removing the evils which lie heavy upon them Thus it comes to passe that they want many blessings which otherwise they might have and lie long under many judgements which might have been removed if the fore-said means had been duly used 2. Another ground to presse extraordinary praier in an extraordinary case 2 Extraordinary praier is extraordinary powerfull is Gods usual dealing with men according to their dealing with him Ora fortiter dic Deo In necessitatibus erue me Tunc finiuntur istae necessitates Aug. Nedib ep 71. even according to the manner and measure of seeking this or that of him Praier more then ordinary is more then ordinarily powerfull Instance this in my Text for thus it is said ver 23. We fasted and besought our God for this and he was intreated of us Many and admirable have been the effects of praier and fasting recorded in Gods Word and those sometimes for preventing or removing great judgements and sometimes for obtaining or regaining singular blessings Proofs hereof you heard before This in generall I dare boldly affirm That praier and fasting being rightly used was never used in vain but some speciall and extraordinary effect followed thereupon Though that particular for which David praied and fasted and lay all night upon the earth namely the life of his sick childe were not granted 2 Sam. 12. 16 18. yet was not that extraordinary means which he used in vain For 1. That humiliation supplication and afflicting of himself was a service warranted by Gods Word and acceptable unto God 2. Though God restored not to the childe his naturall life yet he bestowed upon it eternall life which may be inferred out of these words which David used to comfort himself I shall goe to him 2 Samuel 12. 23. 3. God gave him another son and that of the same mother a Salomon a Jedediah 2 Sam. 12. 24 25. A Prince of peace beloved of the Lord who by Gods appointment succeeded David on the Throne It is observable how the Lord had respect to Ahabs humbling himself before God for thereby he was moved to put off the judgement denounced all his daies 1 King 21. 29. True it is that hypocrites have thus expostulated this case with God Wherefore have we fasted and thou seest not Wherefore have we afflicted our souls and thou takest no knowledge But the fault is there laid upon themselves Isa 58. 3. That they fasted for strife and debate c.

Their fast was not such an one as the Lord had chosen So as the Lords hand was not shortned that it could not save nor his ear heavy that it could not hear but their iniquities had separated between them and their God and their sins had hid his face from them that he would not hear Isa 59. 1 2. Let us therefore that do what is warrantable do it uprightly and fervently so may we do it in faith and be be sure to have it accepted All things are possible to him that beleeveth Mark 9. 23. Surely we fail of much benefit that we might receive from our praiers for want of faith 3. I might here adde 3 By extraordinary praier extraordinary honour is done to God that by fasting and praier which is an extraordinary humbling of our selves before God and an extraordinary manner of craving blessing of him extraordinary honour is done unto him for the more we humble our selves for his displeasure and stoop under his strokes the greater testimony we give not only to the greatnesse of his wrath and indignation but also to the justice and equity of his judgements and the more earnestly we call on him for favour and blessing the greater evidence we give of our high esteem of them Now by how much the more God is acknowledged and justified in his judgements and by how much the more Gods favour and blessings are prised by so much the more is the Lord glorified For Gods honour is much set forth in and by mans acknowledgement of his justice and mercy Nihil magis agendum est Christianâ— quam ut in omni opere ejus Dei gloria praedicetur Hier. Com. in 1 Cor. 10. And who would not doe to his uttermost what he can to set forth the Lords honour This third ground of the fore-said duty is the weightiest of all the rest If these motives be not of force to enforce this duty of extraordinary supplication in an extraordinary case I know not what motives may be of force to enforce a duty Come we now therefore to the Application of the Point 1. Too great cause of just complaint may here be taken up Lamentation for mens sleighting fasts by reason of mens slight and carelesse observing those means which are warranted and prescribed by Gods Word for pacifying his wrath and procuring his favour The Lord may justly upbraid to us our fasts as he did to the Israelites before mentioned Isa 58. 3 c. This complaint may justly be taken up not only against the prophaner sort of people but also against many that look Sion-ward There be of them that on our monethly daies of fast not only forbear to joyn with the assembly of Gods people in those solemn sacred duties but also follow their secular affairs yea their pleasures and pastimes in a kinde of dislike if not a detestation of these duties I will not lay to their charge their disavowing of these duties as if so be they thought fasting and praier unlawfull but their disesteem of our monethly daies enjoyned by publike authority The ground of our monthly fasts The authority was first his Majesties Proclamation straitly charging and commanding That a Generall Publike and Solemn Fast be kept and held on the last Wednesday of every month during the troubles in the Kingdome of Ireland This Proclamation was given the eight day of January in the seventeenth of his Majesties reign It hath been also ratified by sundry Orders and Ordinances of Parliament for a due observing thereof and it hath continued now almost seven whole years and that upon just and weighty causes for the very ground of that Proclamation still remaineth namely The lamentable and distressed estate of Ireland Now why this monethly fast should not be duly observed I see no good reason It may be that it is disesteemed by many because it is enjoyned by authority But that seems to me a strange reason that that which is a ground warranted by Gods Word as out of this text we have formerly shewed should be a reason to slight it I know not how it comes to passe but so it is that mens mindes are averse from such things as are enjoyned by authority though they be things lawfull and agreeable to Gods Word Never were Orders and Ordinances of Parliament more slighted then now and that in things that concern their own good O tempora O mores To what times are we reserved What are the mindes and manners of men But it may be Fasts may be continued while the occasion remains that another thing scruples their consciences namely the set times of fast that it is such a day in every moneth I grant that if there were not a continued occasion of this constant course there might be some ground of scruple but that particular ground of enjoyning this monethly fast still remaining and other weighty grounds also more nearly concerning us namely the troubles of our own Kingdome why should we not persevere in using the means for averting Gods wrath and the fearfull effects thereof from us That which is recorded of the Jews annuall fasting in certain set moneths seventy years together because the judgements which moved them first to take up those fasts continued so long may be a warrant for our continued monethly fasts For they are so mentioned by the Prophet Zech. 7. Publike fasts in former times rare Quid mirum si Christianis temporibus iste mundus tanquam servus jam sciens voluntatem Domini sui faciens digna plagis vapulat multis Aug. vict ep 122. 5. 8. 19. as they are rather ratified then disavowed No marvel that Gods judgements have so long lien upon us and our neighbouring Nations seeing the means of removing them are by most either despised or too much slighted The great complaint of pious Christians in former times was that publike fasts were not enjoyned by publike authority Sometimes a dozen sometimes more years passed in this Land and Kingdome without any publike fasts and yet sundry Parliaments called in those years sundry Armies sent forth and sundry judgements inflicted I can remember a solemn fast proclaimed and most solemnly kept in the year 1588. upon the approach of that Spanish Armado that carried the stile of Invincible Admirable was the blessing that followed upon that fast for soon after that proud Armado was strangely dissipated I doe not well remember another publike fast betwixt that and the first year of King James wherein was such a raging Plague as we have not heard of the like before in this Land Thereupon a weekly fast was enjoyned by publike authority till it pleased God to remove that plague Very few publike fasts were betwixt that and another greater plague in the year 1625. when there was also a weekly fast enjoyned by publike authority at which time God gave a very gracious return to the praiers of his people for the plague decreased much faster then it increased and

lasting peace God can overcome all difficulties Yet surely they must be removed or a sound peace will hardly be setled God to whom all things are possible can do it He can exalt every valley and make low every mountain and hill Isa 40. 4. He can make straight that which is crooked and the rough places plain He can cause the Wolf to dwell with the Lamb and the Leopard to lie down with the Kid 11. 6 7. and the Calf and the young Lion and the fatling together and a little Childe to lead them and the Cow and the Bare to feed their young ones to lie down together and the lion to eat straw like the Oxe The God that hath promised to work such strange works can remove the afore-said difficulties God more then ordinarily to be sought unto and greater then them But he is to be sought unto and the more difficult the case is the more earnest and fervent must our praiers be When Herod had apprehended Peter and put him in prison and delivered him to four quaternians of souldiers intending to bring him forth to the people and to slay him praier was made without ceasing or instant and earnest praier was made of the Church unto God for him and God so heard their praier as he delivered Peter Act. 12. 4 c. Who would have thought that the mischievous device of Haman Hester cum ha beret necessitateÌ„ interveniendi pro populo suo quem Rex ubicunque in regn ejus esset jusserat trucidari oravit ad Dominum cogebat enim eam magna necessitas c Aug. de Gra lib. arb â— 21. should have turned to such an advantage unto the Church as it did But that was from the Lord and obtained by fasting and praier Esth 4. 17. O let us make earnest and instant praier without ceasing to our God that he would send down his Spirit to be a Commissioner among other Commissioners that are to treat about peace yea that his Spirit would be in every of the Commissioners and in our King and Parliament also to bring their spirits to yeeld to that which may make to a good peace So as mercie and truth may meet together and righteousnes and peace kisse each other Psal 85. 10. The Kings heart is in the hand of the Lord as rivers of vvater he turneth it vvhither soever he vvill Prov. 21. This phrase Rivers of water may be here used metaphorically or litterally If metaphorically the metaphor may be taken from Gardiners or marsh-keepers who use to let in streams of water into their gardens orchards or medows when and where they think good and to let them out when they will If litterally the phrase may have reference to former acts of Gods turning waters from their naturall course as it pleased him For the Lord caused the sea to go back and thereby saved the Israelites but destroied the Egyptians Exod. 14. 21 c He made also the waters of Jordan to stay their course till all Israel passed over into Canaan Josh 3. 16. To these evidences of Gods power over the water hath the Psalmist reference Psal 114. 3 5. where he thus saith The sea saw it and fled Jordan was driven back What ailed thee O thou sea that thou fleddest and thou Iordan that thou wast driven back The Lord also opened a rock and the waters gushed out they ran in the dry places like a river Psal 105. 41. The Apostle in reference hereunto saith That the Rock followed them 1 Cor. 10. 4. by the rock metonymically he meaneth the waters that flowed out of the rock and they by Gods ordering providence ran along in those places whither the Israelites removed their severall stations and so followed them The Lord also upon Elijah's smiting the waters of Iordan divided them hither and thither So did he again when Elisha went over Iordan 2 King 2. 8 14. It is also noted that when the armies of Iudah Israel and Edom were in a dry place where was no water unexpectedly there came water and the country was filled with water 2 King 3. 20. This was done by the Lord. It is expresly said Psal 107. 33. that the Lord turneth rivers into a wildernesse and the water springs into dry ground And again vers 35. He turns the wildernesse into a standing water and dry grounds into water-springs All these and other like instances evidently demonstrate that the Lord hath such power over rivers of water as he can turn and order them as it pleases him Now waters running in rivers have a violent course He therefore that can turn them can much more turn the hearts of Kings Agit omnipotens in cordibus huminum etiam motum voluntatis eorum ut per â—os aâ—at quod per eos agere ipse voluerit Aâ—â€¦ de gra lib. Arb c. â—1 Kings are men and the Almighty acteth in the hearts of men even he motions of their will that he may do by them what he will doe by them To instance this in Kings God turned the heart of Pharaoh to Abram Gen. 12. 19 20. of Abimelech to Isaac Gen. 26. 11. of another Pharaoh to Ioseph Gen. 41. 39. Of Achish to David 1 Sam. 17. 6. Of Ahaziah to Elijah 2 King 1. 15. Of Iehoram to Elisha 2 King 6. 32 33. Of Nebuchadnezzar to Ieremiah Ier. 39. 11 12. to Daniel and his three companions Dan. 2. 48 49. Of Evilmerodach to Iehojachin 2 King 25. 27. Of Cyrus to the Jews Ezra 1. 1. Of Darius also to them Ezra 6. 7 c. Of Artaxerxes to Ezra Ezra 7. 6. and to Nehemiah Nehem. 2. 8. Of Abasuerus to Esther and Mordecai Est 2. 17. and 6. 10. Of Agrippa to Paul Act. 26. 28 32. and of many others If thus the Lord have the Kings heart in his hand much more the hearts of others Kings by reason of their supreme power and the dependence of many on them use to be most resolute and inflexible in their purposes He then that can turn their heart whose heart can he not turn Omnium voluntates ita suâ—tâ—n Dei potestate ut eas quo voluerit quando voluerii faciat iaclinari Aug. de Gra lib. Arb c. 20. God so hath the wils of all in his own power as he can make them inclinable whither he will and when he will yea though they be many consulting and consenting together about the same thing For multitudes are but as many waters Rev. 17. 1 15. He that can turn the one can turn the other Though most of the Tribes had held with the house of Saul against David yet God so wrought upon their hearts as all the Tribes of Israel came to David and said Behold we are thy bone and thy flesh 2 Sa. 5. 1. And when they had revolted from David to Absolom a while after all the people were at strife to bring king David to his throne again Yea the men of Iudah having also revolted from David it is noted that the heart of all the men of Iudah was bowed even as the heart of one man unto the King 2 Sam. 19. 9 14. There was a Councell of malicious enemies gathered together against the Apostles but upon the advice of Gamaliel they all agreed to let the Apostles go Act. 5. 40. Thus we see how God can make Councels and multitudes to yeeld to good advice though it be against their former principles Were our hearts well disposed to the duty of praier which we have in hand and did we perform it in faith and with fervency it might be said of our performance as it was said of that performance which the Iews did in my text So we fasted and besought our God for this and he was intreated of us v. 23. FINIS

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