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
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A96517 To the present authority of Parliament now sitting, and to all other rulers and officers belonging to this nation of England, who now bears chiefest rule. Some words of reflection to you all, touching those who bear rule before you, whom the Lord hath justly put down from their seats ... but this chiefly to you who are the present rulers [to] put you in minde of the cry of the neglect of the righteous; also to yourselves a warning and true admonition. / [by] Bryan Wilkinson. Wilkinson, Bryan. 1659 (1659) Wing W2217; ESTC R186582 8,216 8

There are 2 snippets containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

and break you to pieces But if you seek to honour him then will he honour you if you seek to set up your selves and the false Prophets who teaches for hire and will not teach without a set maintenance this is not right in the sight of the Lord but he will ponder your wayes and weigh you in his Balance and you will be found wanting to do that which shall be for him But on the contrary that which is against him for this thing will be abominable unto him you will be found doing that which is evil in the sight of the Lord and the hand of the Lord wil be against you for this thing more then it was against them which were before you they being examples unto you made who comes after them for these overturnings amongst you hath been by him who throws down one sets up another But is now setting up of his own Son to reign whose right it is which makes the heathen to rage and the people to imagine vain things But be ye instructed and kisse the Son least he be angry before his wrath be kindled against you in this his day wherein many are offering gifts unto him But Cains sacrifice will not be accepted nor Esaus tears obtain the blessing again Nor Judas repentance did at all avail when he had betrayed the blood of the innocent into the hands of the Priests and Elders Now if you say all this is true but what is it to us we have no such thoughts to do as the other Rulers did before us as to suffer any for conscience sake to be beat whipped or imprisoned or to have their goods spoiled or to give up the innocent into the hands of wicked men But the true work of the Lord is the thing which we aim at and the exaltation of his Son that he alone may reign according to our former engagements and promises which we made unto him if it were so then may it be said the Lord be with you but if any of you draw back from this the just God will have no pleasure in such but his just hand will be against them but so many of you as do desire to do that which may be right in the sight of the Lord all self-ends self-interests prejudice worldly honour respect of persons set aside then to that of God in your selves turn in which lets you see that you are but men and this is the light which Christ Jesus hath enlightened you withall which is spiritual and you joyning with this it will make you like it and like him from whence it doth proceed even Christ the power of God to every one who believes and as you come to be like him then will you do the will of God and not your own then will you cease from your own works and do the work of the Lord now if you say what is the work of the Lord that we are to do in this day of his power that he will have his Son to reign in or what can we do if he take the Government unto himself My answer is that the work of the Lord in this day of his power is that every one may be brought to be subject to his own power the power of God and this every one is to know in themselves which will keep in obedience unto him as they keep unto it and teach them how to exercise their consciences both towards God and men I say that this is the Lords work which he is begun to work Now your work and your places is to cherish such and to be a praise unto them who doth thus witness the power of God in themselves in whose hearts the righteous Law of God is set up which doth regulate their wayes and so teach them the exercise of a good conscience both towards God and towards man and as you your selves are subject unto him who hath enlightened you with his light with it he will let you see who are from the power of God and no otherwise you can see and as you your selves are subject to the higher power the power of God then with the light you will see how to exercise your power among those who are not subject to the higher power and so be a terror to all evil doers Now Rulers are not a terror to good works nor to them that do well and this I can speak by experience who have had a share of such sufferings among the Lords people now of late who have suffered as evil doers yet innocent and doing no evil but good and so the power which is a terror to him that doth evil We had praise of the same though much we suffered by blind persecuting Magistrates who were from the power of God in themselves and so turned the edge of the sword against the innocent and deeply have many suffered now of late yeares both in their bodyes and estates by such blind persecuting Magistrates that never knew the power of God in themselves from which they should have acted nor never knew the Powers that are ordained of God but acted by their own wills being many of them men of prejudiced spirits and their ground from which they acted was from old popish Lawes which was made and set up by Popish Rulers in the dark night of Apostacy for binding and compelling killing and destroying yet thinking they did God service and these Lawes were one with the dark principles of these Magistrates now of late who thus did persecute without a cause and so many of the Lords dear people both in ages past and now of latest yeares for conscience sake have suffered deeply by binding and compelling Laws because they could not pay and conform to such things as was required of them and of such unjust sufferings we who are by Ishmaels generation called Quakers have had the deepest share in and this you are not ignorant of So now it lies upon you to remedy these things for the Lord doth require it at your hands for he hath looked down upon the afflictions of his people and have beheld their grievious oppressions and the time is come that the Lord will ease himselfe of his adversaries and avenge himselfe of his enemies who will not that he should reigne Now all binding and compelling Lawes touching the worship of God makes many hypocrites both to God and to men this is plainly seen in these our daies for many now who cannot give up themselves unto suffering are miserably enslaved in themselves because of binding and compulsive Lawes and so remains under a condemned estate in bondage and if hypocrites and unbelievers are to be turned into the lake then what shall the portion of them be who either makes Lawes or upholds lawes which makes hypocrites and if the losse of a mans soul be of more value then a whole world then what or how shall they be able to answer the Lord or to stand in judgement before him who by such
TO THE Present Authority OF PARLIAMENT NOW SITTING And to all other Rulers and Officers belonging to this Nation of England who now bears chiefest Rule Some words of Reflection to you all touching those who bear Rule before you whom the Lord hath justly put dow● from their Seats which words may be useful for so many o● them as have escaped the hand of the Lord as yet not to be utterly cut off before he proceed any further against them But this chiefly to you who are the present Rulers t● put you in minde of their neglect of the cry of the Righteous Also to your selves a Warning and true admonition Exalt ye the Lord our God and worship at his foot-stool for he is holy Psal 99. 5. Give glory to the Lord your God before he cause darknesse and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains and while ye look f●● Light he turn it into the shadow of death and make it grosse darknes● Jer. 13. 16. Bryan Wilkinson LONDON Printed for Thomas Simmons at the Bull and Mou●●s near Aldersgate 1659. Friends THE former Parliaments and Rulers which were before you now of late years who were worldly wise men and accounted by many even the wisdom of the Nation and these wise men the Lord God of heaven and earth the great wise God who is Lord over all yet not known nor comprehended by all the wisdom of the world he unto them in the time of their sitting and Rule did unto them send many faithful messengers servants and Prophets even righteous men rising up early early did the Lord send unto them in the beginning of their times of sitting and Rule and reign and by them these Rulers were often and faithfully warned time after time in their times while they bear Rule that they should Rule in righteousness and call to mind their former engagements and promises which they made unto the Lord and unto the honest hearted of the Nation in their way of worship toward God without restraint these things were often laid before them by divers of the Lords people called Quakers from a feeling condition of the want of these things being fulfilled But these Rulers which were before you they did nor regard the true messages but did sleight the Lords servants whom he did send unto them though Gods witness in themselves did often let them see that their message was true just and equal but their message being a crosse unto the wisdom of these Rulers who had lost the tenderness in which they promised take good notice of that their messages being a crosse unto their wisdom their worldly honours and worldly interest therefore instead of hearkening to the servants of the Lord these Rulers rather hearkened unto the Teachers of the Nation even the false Prophets who joyned with them for worldly interests and so went from the witness of God in themselves unto the counsel of their own hearts which were one with the false prophets without so the wisdom of God became foolishness unto them and so they broke Covenants with God and his people which formerly they had made Then began they to despise the Lords servants when they went from the reproof of the Lord in themselves so suffered them with the rest of the people of the Lord to be persecuted beat and whipped imprisoned and their goods to be spoiled by the Priests of the Nation and others through unjust Popish lawes which was set up and made by Popish governors for the maintenance and guarding of Popish Priests and these lawes persecuting Magistrates took hold of and persecuted them which bore a true Testimony for the Lord as they were moved by him though formerly they had hazarded their lives with many of these Rulers who gave them thus up into the hands of wicked men and so every one as they departed from iniquity and bore a testimony for God were unto this generation made a prey Nevertheless the threatnings scoffings and revilings the Barbarous and cruel oppressions hard yokes and heavy burdens beatings bruisings bloodshed prisons and persecutions which was inflicted upon us in this time of these Rulers neglect of true Justice all this did not take away our confidence which we have in the Lord but unto him was our cause and innocence committed and he of us hath never been sought to in vain I say in these times of our troubles the Lord was still our hope and these Rulers was still warned and our unjust sufferings laid often before them but they did not lend their ear so as to take off these oppressions but heardened their hearts and encouraged the Lords enemies and ours and so strengthened the hands of evil doers against us so that there was such cruel and horrible things committed in the Land upon us as never was heard of amongst a people who professed Christianitie and declared against Idolatrie But the Lord being displeased with their hypocrisie he broke these Counsellors one after another for they took not Counsel at him but against him and heardened their hearts and did not obey the voyce of the Lords messenges who time after time did warn them as they were moved of the Lord so the time of the Lords determination being finished and the cry of the oppressed waxing loud in his ears the Lord would no longer strive with them but in his wrath he rose up against them because they continued in Rebellion against him and some of them he cut off in his displeasure for turning from their righteousness and many of them he hath brought to shame which before they might have acted that when they did bear rule which God would have honoured them for and their names might have been in memorial from generation to generation among the Lords people and great things might have been done by them if their minds had been towards the Lord to have acted for him and not against him which would have crowned them with honour and not shame and the hearts of the righteous would have rejoyced and not have been made sad and the work of the Lord they would have put their hands to and not have been against it But the work of the Lord must go on in this day of his power and who can let it for wo be unto him that striveth with his Maker or against the Lord for he is jealous of his Name and none must be proud against him for in this day of his power he will bring down the loftie from their seats and the understanding of the prudent must come to nought But now to you who are the present Authoritie that you in your time do not forget the Lord for the time is come that every one must be tryed and now are you set up again that you may be tryed and now hath the Lord a great work in hand and if you will stand up for him he will be for you and with you to keep you together if you do not he will be against you