Selected quad for the lemma: enemy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
enemy_n	answer_n	lord_n	priest_n	1,813	5	10.4756	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13538	Dauids learning, or The vvay to true happinesse in a commentarie vpon the 32. Psalme. Preached and now published by T.T. late fellow of Christs Colledge in Cambridge. To which is prefixed the table of method of the whole Psalme, and annexed an alphabeticall table of the chiefe matters in the commentarie.	Taylor, Thomas, 1576-1632.	1617 (1617)	STC 23827; ESTC S118153	314,670	466

sense of his want his voyce not tuned by the Spirit his lips walke but his heart mooues not so hee babbleth wordes he is soone wearie he is in a businesse that hee is not vsed to and at least hee holds not on till God answere him Fifthly if he obtayne reliefe or release he can impute it to second causes and then he hath done with God till he need him againe Thus he hath neither experience of Gods loue nor increase of loue to God Thus it is hard for him to pray in affliction and he can neuer doe it well that is not a godly man accustomed to prayer in his peace In a time when thou mayest be found HEre is the fourth or last point in the godly mans practice namely the time when hee shall pray The phrase implyeth three things first that prayer is a seeking of God for finding supposeth seeking Secondly that there is a time when God though sought will not bee found Thirdly that there is a time when the godly shall finde him For the first Prayer is a seeking of God Isa. 55. 6. Seeke the Lord while he may be found Call yee vpon him while he is neere The latter wordes expound the former Psal. 34. 4. I sought the Lord and he heard me he saith not I prayed and was heard but I sought and was heard because his prayer was a seeking 2. Chron. 20. 3. When the good King Iehoshaphat proclaymed fasting prayer he is said to set himselfe to seeke the Lord. But God is euery-where present and what neede wee seeke him or seeing hee is neuer absent how can hee bee found In God are two things to be considered first his Essence Secondly his Presence His Essence or Godhead which is not farre from any of vs Act. 17. 27. wee neither seeke nor finde But his Presence or some comfortable signe of his presence and grace we are commanded to seeke and to our comfort doe often finde this is called in the Scripture the seeking of the face of God the face is that whereby a mans presence is knowne and whatsoeuer it is wherein the Lord doth manifest his presence is called the face of God see Gen. 32. 30. Yea but the Lord said to MOSES No man can see my face and liue Exod. 33. 20. The face of God is either prima or secunda praesentia Deitatis or habitationis First the first face of God is his diuine Essence which is inuisible which no man euer saw or can see both because he is a Spirit and cannot be seene of any mortall Creature as also because our weakenesse is such as the brightnesse of such Maiestie would bring vs to nothing for if our eyes cannot without the destruction of themselues behold the brightnesse of the Sunne-beames being a creature how are we able to behold the infinite and surpassing brightnesse of the Creator Secondly the second face of God is his grace and fauour called in Exodus the backe-parts of God when God doth manifest his gracious Presence or some part of his glorie in some ordinarie or extraordinarie reuelation of it Of the former God speaketh to Moses of the latter speakes Iaacob hee had seene God face to face that is more cleerely and manifestly then euer before and therefore he called the place Penuel In the old Testament the Arke of the couenant was called the face of God and the seeking of speciall testimonie of his presence there is called the seeking of his face because the Lord many wayes there gaue speciall testimonies of his presence as First by giuing Answeres and Oracles from the Mercy-seat Secondly by preseruing it from the contempt of his Enemies so as fiftie thousand Bethshemites were slaine for looking into it nay the Priests the Sonnes of Aaron might not see it but onely the high Priest once a yeere Thirdly by winning honour to it by diuers miracles as that before it the waters of Iordan were diuided the walls of Iericho fell downe and Dagon before it lost his head and hands And because God was so specially present there the Iewes must in their prayers turne their faces towards the Arke and towards Ierusalem as Daniel did being in Chaldaea And that the Iewes might know where to finde God at all times hee told them that hee would dwell in the Sanctuarie and sit between the Cherubins Exod. 35. 8. Indeede the Iewes were encouraged hereby to seeke God but what is that to vs If wee had such a set place where GOD had tyed his presence and residence wee should haue more comfort to seeke him then now wee haue Wee want not encouragement of seeking God nor neede doubt of finding him if wee take these grounds with vs First if wee seeke him in his owne house for where should a man be found but in his owne house God had one standing house in the Old Testament not where his infinite essence which the heauen of heauens was not able to containe but where his Name and memoriall dwelt but in the new he hath a number of houses and being omni-present he will be found in them all First the Church-assemblies thefe be so many Bethels or houses of God there the Church sought him and found him Cant. 6. 1. among the tents of Shepheards and Christ was downe in the Garden and among the beds of Spices that is the assemblies of the Saints where graces grow vp as sweet spices in a bed Christ delights to walk in the midst of the golden Candle-stickes therefore in these houses of Prayer seeke him by faithfull prayer and thou shalt not misse him Secondly euery Christian Family is a house of God where two or three consent in any one thing in his name Christ is in the midst them Adams Family where God was worshipped and sacrifices offered was Gods face whence Cain complaines he was cast out And the Apostle saluteth priuate Christians with the Church in their houses Therefore make thy house Gods house by setting vp his worship therein and thou shalt haue him neere thee with all sweet fellowship and fulnesse of blessednesse Thirdly euery Christian soule is a temple of GOD. 2. Cor. 6. 16. Yee are the Temples of the liuing God as God hath said I will dwell among them and walk there Then make thy heart his Temple and if thou wouldst finde him seeke him there thou shalt finde him no where else or sooner then there Adore him in thy soule and worship him in his holy Temple offer vpon the Altar a pure heart thy sacrifice euen the sweet incense of prayer Let the candle of thy faith euer burne before God let the Arke of thy soule keepe the tables of Gods commandements and keepe within thy heart that pot of Manna euen Christ the bread of life By this meanes thy soule is Gods Temple where he will be found as a man is in his owne house Secondly as we must seeke him in his owne house so by his

As a child in the wombe liues and moues but hath no knowledge of his life and motion so Gods children are in a comfortable estate but they know not the comfort of their estate Gods graces in them are in so small degree that they can scarce acknowledge that which in truth is in them But wee see that numbers of men haue confessed their sinnes and yet had them not remitted Saul and Iudas and Caine confessed and yet remission of sinne did not follow they were reprobates The doctrine speaks of sound confession such as they had not for first it was not voluntarie but extorted Reprobates cannot say as Dauid I will confesse but are drawne out by head and eares of God thereunto they would stil haue hid their sins if they could therfore their confession was no freewill-offering and so not sound nor accepted Secondly it seekes not ease of sinne but ease of sense desiring onely that God would take out of their conscience the horrors of hell and it looketh on the punishment not the offence done against Gods Maiestie Thirdly it proceedes not from a childlike feare of God but seruile without any true purpose of godlines Saul indeed said I haue sinned I obeyed the people foolishly but though he thus confessed yet he doth feare the people still and therefore he saith vnto SAMVEL I pray thee honour mee before the people a true feare of God would haue hated the occasion of sinne as well as the sin it selfe Fourthly it proceeds not from lowlinesse pouertie of spirit or from meeke and humble subiection to God as the godlie's doth who iustifie Gods proceedings cleare him in his iudgement repose themselues in his mercy and waite with hope and confidence for a gracious issue but with murmuring pride and hardnesse of heart as in Pharaoh or with final desperation as in Caine and Iudas But euen the godly themselues will often bid battell to this doctrine and say Alas if assurance of remission follow sound confession what shall I thinke of my selfe I haue long bewailed my sinnes and yet rest without this assurance my case is not Dauids either my confession is not sound or my person not in the state of grace or this doctrine vnsound We must distinguish between the presence of a grace and the sense of it a grace may be there present where there is no feeling there may bee the presence of Gods loue faith and remission of sinne where there is no sense of them How can this be seeing faith is a full assurance and certaine perswasion can a man be thus perswaded and yet not feele it Yes first there may be faith where there is no such assurance as many complaints of Gods children in temptation do witnesse abundantly Iob and Dauid thought God had quite cast them away and hid his face in vtter displeasure here are beleeuers and faith yet no sense Was Christs righteous heart euer destitute of faith did his Father euer cease to loue him surely no wee may not thinke so and yet he said My God my God why hast thou for saken me Secondly Christs promise is Blessed is he that beleeues though he see not Thirdly We must distinguish betweene the want of faith and the weaknesse of it vnfeelingnesse comes through weakenesse and not alwayes of the want of it Fourthly Prayer for that grace which seemes to be absent is a signe of the presence and prayer for sense and feeling of pardon is a fruit of faith Fiftly There be sundry degrees and measures of faith some Saints are as the weeke which can smoke only and not flame yet the least graine of faith layeth hold on Christ to saluation Sixtly In temptation it is sufficient that Gods children liue the life of God though they know not that they liue In a swoune a man liues though he perceiues it not it is sufficient that other men know he liues a little embers lyes vnder a heape of ashes so Gods child hath that in him which shall support and sustayne him vnto greater perfection though he know not his graces First then this serues to ouer-throw a doctrine of the Church of Rome which is that remission of sinne doth follow Confession ex opere operato that is If one come and confesse all his sins auricularly then the very worke wrought doth carry away pardon But this is vtterly false that God hath tyed remission of sinne to the very worke of Confession because Confession is effectuall only so farre forth as the person confessing is a beleeuer sanctified and iustified Else why was not Sauls sinne remitted seeing it was confessed the only reason is because he as also Caine and Iudas were not in the state of grace First then pardon belongs to the person that is accepted through Christ not to the worke Secondly Papists speake this of confession to the Priest which is the racke of the ignorant world but Dauid of confession to God which bringeth peace Thirdly their Absolution which is pronounced on Confessors is most blasphemous and preiudiciall to Gods royall and high prerogatiue The blinde Iewes could say Who can forgiue sinnes but God And Nathan said not I but God hath put away thy sinne So that this their absolution belongs not to any Prophet or Apostle ordinary or extraordinary nor to any of their successors no not to Christ himselfe as man Which is the rather to be obserued to meet with their blasphemous opinion for which they lay this ground Christ say they was God and Man As God he had an absolute power to forgiue sinnes As man hee hath a proper power and that is deriueable to the Priest standing in Christs place to whom he delegates a power to forgiue as himselfe had power to forgiue and for this that place is brought Ioh. 20. 21. As the Father hath sent me so send I you To answere this We will not consider Christ as God for so there is no question but he may and doth forgiue sinne but two wayes else first as Mediator God and man Secondly as man altogether of our nature if we were without sinne As Christ is Mediator and King of his Church so he deriues to his Ministers not a power of remission but a ministery of remission of sinnes not to forgiue sinne but to pronounce that God hath forgiuen it this only hath he left to the Church But as he is meere man he hath no power to forgiue sinne but as being the sonne of man hee is likewise the Sonne of God In the time of his humiliation he said not I forgiue mine enemies but Father forgiue them they know not what they doe As for the place which they abuse to their irreligious opinion we must note first that it is spoken of Christ to his twelue Apostles and not of any Euangelicall Priests Secondly it importeth only a similitude and likenesse betweene Gods sending of Christ and Christs sending of his Disciples but not any equality