Selected quad for the lemma: enemy_n
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A00459
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The Christian conflict and conquest set forth in a sermon at Pauls-crosse, upon Sunday the 19th of Iuly, 1635. By W.E.B.D. of St Mary Hall in Oxford
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Evans, William, b. 1598 or 9.
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1636
(1636)
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STC 10595; ESTC S114790
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45,067
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78
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world hateth you Ioh. 15. 19. In the world ye shall have tribulations And so doth the Apostle saying in the world there are many adversaries 1. Cor. 16. 9. There are some violent as persecuting Emperours Others fraudulent as subtill Hereticks A third both violent fraudulent as pestilent Antichrists in the kingdome of Popery where the temporall power and the spirituall are joyned together against all that is called God as Luther hath it Loc. Com. Tit. de persecutione verae Ecclesiae The army wherewith the world fights against the faithfull servants and souldiours of Christ consists of two wings as Aquinas notes One is the wing of adversity on the left hand And the other is the wing of prosperity on the right By the wing of adversity the wicked of the world doe set upon the Christian souldiours diverse wayes As sometime in their body sometime in their goods and sometime in their good name And in all many times they give them the foile provoking them and sometime prevailing with them to forget their vow and promise with God and to make shipwrack of faith and a good conscience By the wing of adversity Pseudoapostles were overcome even for feare of persecution for the crosse of Christ and so was Peter also when he denyed his Master Mat. 26. But for one that falls by the onset of adversity on the left hand a thousand more are overthrowne by the incursion of prosperity on the right By this Balaam was overcome who loved the wages of unrighteousnesse 2. Pet. 2. 15. By this Demas was overthrowne who forsooke the Apostle Paul for love of the present world 2. Tim. 4. 10. yea and by this David was foyled whom greivous adversity in the dayes of Saul could not overcome 1. Sam. 11. 2. And hereby also many are foyled in these dayes Worldly hopes have drawne many from the sincerity of religion whom outward violence could not move The sunshine of prosperity hath made many to unbutton and to unlase themselves whom the storme of adversity made to gird up their loynes As those women of Israel sand of David and Saul by way of joy and gratulation saying Saul hath slaine his thousands and David his tenne thousands so wee may truly sing of these two by way of mourning and lamentation saying adversity hath slaine thousands prosperity tenne thousands So that looke wee on what side we will either the left side of adversity or the right side of prosperity Retia vides quaecunque vides Wee shall find that wee walke in the middest of snares as the wiseman saith Ecclus. 9. 13. we shall be sure to finde the world an enemy at all hands What shall we doe then in this case My advise and counsell herein is that of the Apostle love not the world neither the things of the world 1. Ioh. 2. 15. And that of Christ take heed least at any time your hearts bee overcharged with the cares of this life Luk. 21. 34. should a man desire much to eat of choaking fruits And such are the cares of the world they choake the word Mat. 13. 22. should a man excessively love that which will doe him much harme pricke as thornes and pierce with many sorrowes And loe so it is with those that love the world they pierce themselves with many sorrowes as the Apostle saith they fall into many temptations and snares and into many foolish and hurtfull lusts which drowne them in perdition and destruction That which I said before then I say againe with the Apostle love not the world neither the things of this world Raise your affections from things that are on earth and set them on things above Some will say with the Pharisees that they will love their friend and hate their enemy Make that good in this and ye doe well for the world is an enemy that wee should hate and not love Secondly because the world is an enemy wonder not if good men bee not much respected and regarded in the world as other men are marvaile not if the world hate you S. Iohn saith or if ye see good men and good things opposed and keept downe Is it any wonder to see one enemy oppose and keepe down another to see righteousnes unrighteousnes Christ and Belial light and darknesse at discord and disagreements surely no. Oderunt hilarem tristes c. Contrary dispositions have alwayes occasioned contentious oppositions And therefore I say with the Apostle thinke it not strange concerning the fiery triall marvaile not if the world hate you 1. Pet. 4. 12. Thirdly because the world is an enemy remember not to be too conversant with the wicked thereof as with idolaters fornicators drunkards swearers or any wicked persons Should a man desire the company of his enemies And such are these all other workers of iniquity yea majores sunt inimici mores pravi quā hostes infesti there are none more deadly enemies then ill company Avoid then have no fellowship with the unfruitfull works of darknesse Remēber that there must be alwayes enmity between the seed of the woman the seed of the serpent Gen. 3. Moreover because the world is an adversary of ours let us not build our faith upon the judgment or example of the world should we build our faith and salvation upon the word and example of an enemy And loe such is the world an enemy yea and a foole too so saith the Apostle The wisdome of this world is foolishnesse before God 1. Cor. 1. 10. let no man then build his faith and salvation upon it but upon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles that is upon Iesus Christ for other foundation can no man lay to make sure work 1. Cor. 3. 11. hee is the foundation of foundations he is the sure rock the the chiefe corner stone elect precious on whom he that believeth shall not be confounded 1. Pet. 2. 6. Lastly seeing the world is an enemy wrestling against us let us likewise wrestle against it If an invading enemy be let alone and no opposition made against him he will quickly overrunne all and bring all under him We must looke to it then how we let the world runne on in errours in prophanenesse in all kind of impiety and irreligiousnesse Specially you that bee the champions of the Lord of hoasts the charrets of Israel and the horse-men thereof the Ministers of God to take vengeance on them that doe evill you must looke to it that ye beare not the sword in vaine but that ye truly and indifferently minister justice to the punishment of wickednesse and vice and to the maintenance of Gods true religion and virtue In the entrance of your profession you have proclaimed and vowed warre against the world witnesse your Baptisme doe not prove runnagate souldiours and Apostates in leaving Christs colours to follow the world away with such perfidiousnesse bee faithfull bee men of
we must haue some other meanes even the strength of the Lord. And therefore the Apostle saith be strong in the Lord v. 10. We must haue other armour then our owne to fight in even the armour of God And therefore the Apostle saith put on the armour of God that ye may be able to stand in the evill day which is the true meanes of the Conquest and the last point To overcome in this warre we must put on Gods armour not the armour of the flesh for cursed is he that maketh flesh his arme Ier. 17. 5. Not the armour of the world for our enemies are worldly Governours and the chiefe of them the Prince of this world Ioh. 2. 31. Not the armour of the Devill as Popish exorcisme Superstitious crossing Holy water Masses Diriges Crucifixes Consecrated hosts Graines Oyle Reliques of Saints Agni Dei and such like trumperie which the Papists use Not the woodden dagger of fabulous histories or the rusty scabberd of old traditions as the same Romanists use These are weapons of the Devills owne making and forging not of Gods appointing here are none of these among the armor of God yet here is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the whole armor of God Againe we may not use charmes and such like which coniurers use here are none of these mentioned These are the Devills watchword not Gods word this is to cast out the Devill by Belzebub not by the finger of God further we may not use wanton sonets thundring oathes or mad mirth as carnall protestants doe nor yet lyes and libels as undiscreet schismaticks doe and the Papists also who call their lyes and cheating tricks Pias fraudes godly deceits These are the Devills weapons and engines framed in his shop who is a lyer from the beginning and giuen at his appointment and therefore little feared by him These are not the weapons that we must fight with or if fight that we can over come with no no he that trusts in his owne strength shall proue weake like Goliah or in his owne wit shall proue a foole like a Achitophell or in his righteousnesse shall prove most unrighteous as the Pharisees before whom the Publicans and sinners repenting of their owne unrighteousnesse and relying by faith on the righteousnesse of Christ shall enter into the kingdome of heaven He that trust in Princes or any childe of man shall find true which Rabshaka spoke of the king of Egypt that they are but broken reeds to leane to He that trusts in his strong hold great wealth in his chariots horses forces in any thing besides God for his defence and safety shall find as little helpe and comfort in time of need as the Priests of Baal had of Baal at their need even none at all 1. Kings 18. 29. Outward meanes are good and necessary to be used but in no wise to be trusted in If we set them up in Gods roome they become very pernicious or most unprofitable specially if they be unwarrantable meanes While others then strengthen themselves in their owne might lane to their owne wisdome repose themselves on their owne righteousnesse betake themselves to their owne freedome follow their owne wayes trust to their owne forces let us with David remember the name of the Lord our God Psal 20. 7. And as the Apostle saith so say I unto you My Brethren be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might Put on the armour of God that is the grace of God For the weapons of our warfare are not carnall as the Apostle saith But spirituall even the grace of Gods spirit By this we are saved Ephes 2. 8. By this we stand 1. Pet. 1. 12. This is the armour of proofe that is mighty through God to the pulling downe of strong holds to the casting downe of imaginations and every high thing that exalteth it selfe against the knowledge of God and to bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ 2. Cor. 10. 4 5. Give diligence then to arme and furnish your selves with grace that you may be able to encounter with your spirituall enemies and to withstand their assaults Take unto you the whole armour of God that is the manifold graces of Gods spirit all christian vertues and thereby adorne the understanding the will the affections aud the whole inner man And namely specially take unto you the graces vertues here mentioned commended unto us that is First take the girdle of truth that is the knowledge of the truth the true knowledge of the word of God which is the word of truth and thereby informe and adorne your understanding Danda inprimis operimis opera est ut Deum noscamus quotquot felices esse volumus The first thing that we must labour for is to know the truth that is it which is here first commended by the Apostle And it is the first charge which king David gave unto his sonne Solomon saying and thou Solomon my sonne know thou the God of thy fathers and serve him with a perfect heart and a willing mind c. hee bids his sonne serve God with a perfect heart but first hee bids him know him because without knowledge wee cannot serve him or at least not rightly and acceptably as we may see by the example of the Iewes Rom. 10. 2. who had the feare of God but not according to knowledge Without knowledge of the word of truth we know not where we are nor which way to goe to save our selves and to escape the enemy He that walketh in darknesse knoweth not whither he goeth saith Christ himselfe Ioh. 12. 35. And it is impossible till wee come to the knowledge of the truth that ever wee should come out of the snare of the Devill saith S. Paul 2. Tim. 2. 25. 26. Let us labour then first of all to know the truth out of the word of truth that thereby wee may discerne right from wrong And when we have knowne it let us gird our selves therewith that is sticke close to it and then feare not Vincet veritas Truth will prevaile for truth is great and mightie aboue all things 1. Esdras 4. 41. But this is not all that we must labour for that is to know and to speake the truth We must goe further and obey the truth and with Gajus walke in the truth 3. Ioh. 3. And namely in this truth of serving the Lord in righteousnesse so saith the Apostle in the next place put on the brest-plate of righteousnesse that is endeavour to keepe a cleare conscience voyd of offence towards God and towards man as S. Paul did Act. 24. 16. endeavour to walke inoffensively towards all men Scire vel de virtute loqui minimum est To know or to speake the truth and to give good precepts is no great matter it is the least of a thousand who cannot doe it But virtutibus uti to joyne