Selected quad for the lemma: enemy_n
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A26412
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A fannaticks mite cast into the Kings treasury being a sermon printed to the King because not preach'd before the King / by Henry Adis.
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Adis, Henry.
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1660
(1660)
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Wing A581; ESTC R28080
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68,628
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81
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14. The Earth shall be filled with the Knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the Sea Therefore be sure O King thou have Thus saith the Word of the Lord for thy Warrant for God is a jealous God and will not be served with any thing but what is of his own And this did Hezekiah throughout all Jndah and wrought that which was good and right and truth before the Lord his God and in every work that he began in the service of the House of God and in the Law and in the Commandments to seek his God he did it with all his heart and saith the Text He prospered Chap. 31. 20 21. Whence we may note That whilst Hezekiahs heart was upright to God God prospered him and thus we find in Holy Writ That whilst men with a perfect heart have a careful eye in all their undertakings to please God God hath a tender eye over them to prosper them And thus whilst Joseph is answering his lustful Mistris with a How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God Gen. 39. 9. Though Joseph by her revengeful malice be cast into Prison yet God is with him v. 21. And God gives him favour in the eyes of the Prison-Keeper insomuch that the Prison-keeper looked not after any thing that was under his hands and the Reason is added vers. 28. Because the Lord was with him and that which he did the Text saith The Lord made it it prosper And thus whilst Daniel in the Babylonish captivity is resolved in his heart not to defile himself with a portion of the Kings Idolatrous Meat nor of his wine God bringeth Daniel iuto Favour and tender Love with the Prince of the Eunuches Dan. 1. 3 9. Insomuch that the Eunuch will venture his head to the King his Master rather than Daniel shall want that food he desires V. 10 14. A good encouragemant for the People of God in the very worst of times even to take up a Resolution to eye God in what he would have them to do in all things and not at all to fear the faces of men though never so great for if Shadrach Meshach and Abednego will not bow to Nebuchadnezzars Image but keep themselves close to their God God will keep as close to them and one like the Son of Man shall walk with them in that seven times hot fiery Furnace to preserve them Dan. 3. 16 25. Will Daniel Petition no other but the true God though against the Decree of the King that God will send his Angel to shut the mouths of the Lyons that they shall not hurt him Daniel 6. 10. 22. Therefore suffer me to bespeak thee and thy People O King in the Language of Azariah the Son of Obed which he once uttered to King Asa 2 Chron. 15. 1. Hear thou me CHARLES and all England Scotland Ireland and in particular thou proud voluptuous and vain-glorious City of London the Lord is with you whilst you are with him if ye seek him he will be found of you but if ye forsake him he will forsake you And let not the King be angry if one that is counted a Fannatick speak once more to him not in his own Language but in the words of the Spirit of the Lord in the Prophet David to his Son 1 Chro. 28. 9. And thou Solomon my Son know thou the God of thy Fathers and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind for the Lord searcheth all hearts and understandeth all the imaginations of thy thoughts if thou seek him he will be found of thee but if thou forsake him he will cast thee off for ever Thou knowest O King thou hast had a casting off and that that casting off may not be for ever be perswaded to turn to thy God with all thy heart We usually say That he that would move another to weep must first cry himself he must first begin the passion thus God hath done God hath begun a Work God hath first troden a Path for thee O King to walk in God hath made a Return to thee most miraculously and far I presume beyond thine own Expectation or the Imagination of many others therefore O King Prepare to meet thy God have a care thou walk not in any By-Path but onely and alone in that Path of Returning which God hath troden for thee and as God hath been Miraculous in his Returning to thee O be thou as Eminent in thy returniug to him this is that which I am confident the Lord looketh for at thy hands for so saith the Lip of Truth it self Luke 12. 48. For unto whomsoever much is given of him shall be much required and the same voice hath the Spirit of the Lord in my Text But Hezekiah rendred not again according to the Benefits bestowed upon him therefore wrath fell upon him and upon Judah and Jerusalem And that I may come to the handling the words themselves I shall briefly shew what God did for Hezekiah that caused him to look for so suitable a return from Hezekiah After these things and the establishment thereof Chap. 32. 1. That is After the Reformation that Hezekiah had made as I have in part laid down and as in the three foregoing Chapters is more particularly discovered After these things and the establishment thereof Sennacherib King of Assyria came and entered into Judah and Encamped against the fenced Cities and thought to win them to himself Whence we may note That though men walk never so close with God yet they cannot be exempted from the malicious endeavours of wicked men David we know is Recorded in holy Writ to be a man after Gods own heart who in the Confidence of his Soul sometimes can say The Lord is on his right hand he shall not be moved Psal. 16. 8. And anon in Psal. 17. 8. he begs of the Lord to hide him under the shadow of his Wings from the wicked that oppress him and from his deadly Enemies Now he will not fear what man can do unto him And anon he cryeth out That one day he shall fall by the hand of Saul Good men are at an uncertainty of quietness or tranquility on this side the grave If the Sons and Daughters of God had too much Happiness and Peace in this life they would then begin to settle upon the Lees and satisfie themselves with that which cannot profit God knows what is fitter for his than they do themselves and therefore it is that he suffers his dearest Children to undergo great Tryals and that for several Reasons First for the Tryal of their Faith according to that of Judg. 2. 21. I will not saith the Lord drive out any of the Nations which Joshua left when he died and the Reason is added That through them I may prove Israel whether they will keep the Way of the Lord to walk therein as their Fathers did keep it therefore saith the Text The Lord left
thou rejoycing that the Sword in all visible probability is now sheathing again And is not that rejoycing such that may justly cause God to Command it to run thorow thy Borders a second time Art thou humble before thy God O England out of a Consideration of thine own unworthiness and of Gods great love to thee in these things Or rather art thou not grown more haughty And may not the Lord take up a Complaint against thee and thy Daughters O England as once he did against his People of old Isa. 3. 16. and say to England and in special to London Because thy Daughters are haughty and walk with stretched out Necks and wanton Eyes walking and mincing as they go and making a tinkling with their feet therefore the Lord will smite with a Scab the Crown of the Head of the Daughters of England And the Lord will discover her secret parts in that day Or when the Lord shall say so to England Then will he take away the bravery of their tinkling Ornaments about their feet and their Cauls and their round Tiers like the Moon and the Braslets and the Mufflers the Bonnets and the Ornaments of the Leggs the changeable suits of fantastical Attire and instead of their sweet Powders a stink instead of a Girdle a Rent instead of their crisped and well-set Hair Baldness and instead of a Stomacher a girding of Sack-cloth and Burning instead of Beauty and cause a second time their Men to fall by the Sword and their Mighty in War for England is full of Distempers so that God may justly say of her as once he said of Israel Isa. 1. 6. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it but mounds and bruises and putrified sores they have not been closed neither bound up nor mollified with Ointments for the Judgements nor the Mercies of God have neither allured nor restrained them from their Iniquities but to this very day she hath her Tinpenny of Pride being also full of the Dropsical Humours of all Abominations and yet in a deep Consumption of all true Piety Pitty Penitency Patience and Purity by which means she is become very Perverse Peevish Prophane and Pittiless Therefore O England Consider what God after all his Judgements and Mercies requireth of thee and for the time to come meet thy God with suitable Returns lest God meet thee again in some or all his three fierce Judgements Sword Pestilence or Famine either to thy speedy rooting out or thy Consuming lingring Ruine Consider what I say and the Lord make thee wise And Secondly Seeing it is so That God requires suitable Returns for Benefits bestowed though from the greatest of Men or Nations c. This then may serve for a Use of Reproof to all from the Highest to the Lowest from him that sitteth upon the Throne to him that grindeth at the Mill even to the Hewer of Wood and Drawer of Water to all that have received and have not duly rendred to such who like the Swine under the Acorn Tree have greedily swallowed down all the Benefits that comes from God never so much as once looking to God nor to him that sends them And to say truth it fares generally with men as with those Leapers Luk 17. 17. where ten were cured but one found to return Praise And indeed it is ten to one whether men generally know it really to be their duty or not therefore I shall commend this Use to all that have not Rendred and shall let them know in the words of Solomon the wise That he is in the way of Life that keepeth knowledge whilst he that refuseth reproof erreth Prov. 10. 17. For he that hateth reproof is brutish Prov. 12. 1. And shame shall be to him that refuseth Instruction whilst he that regardeth reproof shall be honoured Prov. 13. 18. And therefore I shall desire all seriously to consider the danger of not Rendring For Hezekiah rendred not again according to the Benefits bestowed upon him but his heart was lifted up therefore wrath fell upon him and upon Judah and Jerusalem And so I shall pass to the next Teachable Observation 2. That many times God punisheth a People for the misactings of their Governours whether in Church State or particular Families For the Proof of which Point let us consider King David who as to the integrity of his inward-man was upright before God therefore we have this Testimony of him That he was a man after Gods own heart 1 Sam. 13. 14. Yet this integrity of his was accompanied with some imperfections which caused Gods wrath to burn hot against his People as we may read 2 Sam. 24. 1. For King David by the instigation of that Enemy of mankind was moved to number his People by which means the wrath of God was kindled against Israel for so saith the Text 2 Sam. 24. 1. And again the Anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel and He moved David against them to say Go number Israel and Judah Quest But here it may be asked How I prove this to be done by the perswasion of that Evil One seeing the Text doth not in so many words say so Answ. To which I Answer The Text in 2 Sam. 41. 1. nor in any other part of the Chapter doth not in so many words prove it but if according to the teaching of the Apostle Paul 1 Cor. 2. 13. We compare Spiritual things with Spiritual the Holy Ghost will make a clear Discovery for compare this 2 Sam. 24. 1. with 1 Chron. 21. 1. we shall find this He that moved David in this 2 Sam. 24. 1. is that Enemy of mankind that Evil One or Satan for so saith the text 1 Chron 21. 1. And Satan stood up against Israel and provoked David to number Israel Quest But here it may be farther demanded What was Israels sin seeing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what had Israel done Answ. I Answer Israel was not at this time as we read of acting in any gross or known sin yet Isrà el must be punished Which proves our Assertion to be true That God many times punisheth a People for the misactings of their Governours c. Quest What then was Davids sin may some say Answ. I Answer Davids sin lay in numbring the People for so saith the text 1 Chron. 21. 7. And God was displeased at this thing therefore he smote Israel Quest Was the numbring of the People then the only Cause that moved God to slay with the Plague threescore and ten thousand as we read vers. 14. Answ. Yea so saith the text v. 17. For David said unto God Is it not I that Commanded the People to be numbred Even I it is that have sinned and done evil But as for these sheep what have they done Let thy hand I pray thee be on me and on my Fathers House but not on thy People that they should be punished Quest Is it so dangerous a thing then to tell over or