Selected quad for the lemma: enemy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
enemy_n	adversary_n	hand_n	lord_n	1,184	5	3.6502	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A40093	A sermon preached at Bow-Church, April the Xvith. 1690 before the Lord Maior, and Court of Aldermen, and citizens of London, being the fast-day by Edward Fowler.	Fowler, Edward, 1632-1714.	1690 (1690)	Wing F1720; ESTC R10666	20,196	42

from among men were it not that I feared the Wrath of the Enemy lest their Adversaries should behave themselves strangely and lest they should say their Hand is high and the Lord hath not done all this That is were it not that I knew they would take Advantage from the Destruction of my People to bepride themselves the more in their own strength and not look on themselves as the Rods of mine Anger or Executioners of my Vengeance and so their Destruction would lose the Force of an Example for the deterring of the Heathen from their wicked Practices Were it not that I feared the Wrath of the Enemy This is one of those many Examples we find in Scripture of God's speaking to Men after the manner of Men. 4. We shall find another like this Ezek. 20. 14. Where God saith I said I would pour out my Fury upon them in the Wilderness to consume them but I wrought for my Name 's sake that it should not be polluted among the Heathen in whose sight I brought them forth That is that the Egyptians might not say That for Mischief he brought them out to slay them in the Mountains and to consume them from the Face of the Earth Which was the Motive used by Moses to prevail with God to turn from his fierce Wrath and to repent of this Evil against his People Exod 32. 12. But what could the Great God suffer by the Enemies taking occasion from their destroying his People to bepride themselves the more in their own strength since as the Psalmist speaks In the things wherein they dealt most proudly He is above them And what Dammage could accrue to the Divine Majesty from their Reproaches Yet you see such Motives as these did stay God's Hand seeing he had no better from their Destruction who had done all that lay in them to draw down his Vengeance And I say again that such Motives as these four do plainly shew that he is naturally extreamly averse to the giving of sinners their due desert and that when he doth so 't is an effect of Necessity rather than of Free Choice Sixthly God's Infinite Goodness and His Infinite Greatness too do absolutely assure us of this For taking pleasure in Destruction or Misery as such is perfectly inconsistent with Goodness and much more with Infinite Goodness but to destroy or make miserable when there is no Necessity in the case is much the same thing with delighting in Destruction and Misery as such And again he hath but a very sorry notion of Almighty God who needs to be satisfied that he hath innumerable other ways of procuring his own Pleasure and therefore can not need to do it by any of His Creatures Destruction or Misery were He capable of delighting himself therein Lastly The many Express Declarations which God hath made concerning this matter do make us not to need any Consequences for a Proof hereof You have heard that he hath Professed that He doth not aff●ct willingly nor grieve the Children of Men. And since 't is impossible for God to lye this one Text ought to weigh down a thousand Objections could the wit of man invent so many against the truth of this Doctrine And again from a great concern that we should not admit the least doubt of it he hath so wonderfully condescended as to back such Declarations with a Solemn Oath As I live saith the Lord God I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that the wicked turn from his way and live Ezek. 33. 11. Again We have God Almighty expressing a vehement Wish that his people had not given him such Provocations Plal. 81. 13 c. Oh that my People had harkened unto me and Israel had walked in my ways I should soon have subdued their enemies c. But he could not wish this for any Good his Creatures observance of his Laws could signify to himself since 't is no gain to him as Eliphaz speaks that we make our way perfect And man cannot be profitable unto God as he that is wise may be profitatable to himself Again We farther find him expressing a very ardent Wish that his people would Cease to give him Provocations and that for this reason that he might be under no necessity of making them miserable This he doth Deut. 5. 29. Oh that there were such an heart in them that they would fear me and keep my Commandements always that it may be well with them and with their Children for ever And what an astonishing Consideration is it that the Infinite Majesty of God should stoop so low as that he should express himself to vile Dust and Ashes nay to the most obdurate and hard-hearted Wretches in the World after the manner he hath here done in the words of our Text. How shall I give thee up Ephraim How shall I deliver thee Israel c Now to make Application of what hath been Discoursed on these Words First WE Learn from thence what strange Folly or rather desperate Madness doth lodge in the hearts of Sinful men Lord that they should be such deadly Enemies to themselves that they should be so resolutely bent upon plucking down Ruine and Misery upon their own heads Ruine and Misery both in this World and in that to come when God hath done all that could reasonably be desired and much more than ought to have been expected from him to prevent their being Miserable and to make them Happy both here and hereafter What reason have we when we consider this to take up that wish of the Prophet Ieremy Oh that mine head were waters and mine eyes a fountain of tears that I might weep day and night This sottishness of sinners can never be enough Lamented nor can we sufficiently Wonder at it There is nothing to be observed in all Gods Creation so Unaccountable so Amazing There is no sort of Creatures under the Cope of Heaven besides wretched Mankind which alone is indued with Understanding and Liberty but do provide as well as they are able for their own safety but are so concerned for their own welfare as not to expose themselves without apparent necessity to the least danger A poor Bird needs no other warning to avoid a snare than the sight of it in vain saith the Wise man is the Net spread in the sight of any Bird. But unhappy Man will run into the Pit with his eyes open For the gratifying of a brutish Appetite for a little little while he 'll adventure being utterly ruined and undone both Soul and Body in this World and to all Eternity And that though God himself by his holy Word and by innumerable Examples of his Iustice and by the Feeling he often gives him of the evil of sin takes the most effectual course throughly to convince him of the horrible Madness of wilfully transgressing his Righteous Laws What words are significant enough to give this its due Aggravation Be astonished O ye Heavens at this