Selected quad for the lemma: enemy_n
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A28659
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A doore of hope, also holy and loyall activity two treatises delivered in severall sermons, in Excester / by Iohn Bond ...; Doore of hope
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Bond, John, 1612-1676.
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1641
(1641)
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Wing B3569; ESTC R23253
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104,423
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165
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great terrours according to all that the Lord your God did for you in Aegypt before your eyes As all those seven particulars of mercy viz. temptations signes wonders warr mighty-hand stretched-out-arme great terrours were made up in Israels Aegyptian freedome so could we paralell them amongst us but the taske would take up too much time Only in short to give a taste 1. Were they delivered and brought out of a litterall corporal Aegypt and bondage after foure hundred and thirty yeers slavery Ex. 12.40 we were delivered from a spirituall and mysticall Aegypt after above some five hundred years since the Conquest 2. Were they carried through a Red-Sea and a Jordan Psa 66.12 and led by a fiery pillar we went through fire and through water through a Gunpouder-treason and an Eighty-eight but hee brought us firth into a wealthie place 3. In short were they brought into a fruitful Land where they had the Oracles and Ordinances of God above all people Let me speake freely I conceive that we have more in both these particulars then they for First our Land in my judgement with submission hath bin more fruitfull constantly then was theirs for how many famines reade we to have bin in Cannaan successively Gen 12.10 Gen. 26.1 Gen. 42.5 Ruth 1.1 c. As in the times of Abraham of Isaac of Jacob of Ruth I thinke you can hardly paralell that number in the like time and kinde in this Isleland Secondly for Oracles and Ordinances true they had miracles and we have wonders but otherwise they did see Christ a farre off through a cloud of painefull and costly Ceremonies but we behold him come and as it were face to face in his Evangelicall Ordinances And let me adde no age or Nation past or present under Heaven did or doth enjoy such a cleere quick powerfull practicall Ministry as is now in this Isleland and hath bin amongst us for some late yeers But what doe I looke backe to times past I need not to bring forth cold and stale dishes to furnish out this feast of praises there are enough new and warm ones to over-fill the Table yea such as have bin cook d and dres'd in our owne times Let us but looke upon the present wonders of the last five yeeres or therabout in this Island I remember some rude Sea-men have stiled the Sommer Islands by the name of the Divels Jslelands because they say of the many tempestuous impetuous stormes whirle-winds and earth-quakes which are common in those places Surely Bretheren upon better grounds we may call our Britan the Isleland of Jehovah or Gods Island because of the manifold Protections Preventions Deliverances Blessings spirituall politique and Ecclesiasticall so little lesse then miraculously conferred on us I may say seriously of them all that they are more then I am able to expresse some of them I have resolved now to touch upon such as are newest for time and doe come neerest the Text for Nature and in reckoning up of these I shall have some eye to the Copy in my Text. Here we see an exact enumeration or numbring of all the ingredients of this admirable Deliverance of the Jewish nation As 1. The Author God When the Lord. 2. Their Misery a Captivity 3. The Manner of the Mercy turning or returning 4. The Delivered Zion And 5. finally The extent of this goodnesse it was astonishing and made them like men in a dreame How accutately could we match and Paralell every one of those particulars with answerable branches in our present English Deliverance but because that whole comparison would be too large let us cull out one or two particulars and compare them 1. The Authour of turning their Captivity was God When the Lord turned c. And indeed he alone it is that maketh warres to cease unto the end of the earth Psal 46. v. 9. he breaketh the bow and cutteth the speare in sunder he burneth the Chariot in the fire This God alone it was that did turn back our late streames of bloud who but he to speake properly had a hand in the beginning of that turning For 1. Some amongst us could not 2. Others would not stop those evils 1. The godly and loyall-hearted inferiour subjects they could only mourne in secret and sometimes openly when leave was granted but what else had they power to doe in the depth of these commotions Psal 11. v 3. If the foundations be destroyed what can the righteous doe Our generall publique foundations are two Religion Lawes and both these saith the Preamble to the Protestation Papists and others did endeavour to undermine and subvert Nay further it was with us too well like as with Judah in the time of Isaiah Saith he Isa 59. v 14. Judgement is turned away backward and justice standeth afarre off truth is fallen in the street and equity cannot enter ver 15. Yea truth faileth and he that departeth from evill maketh himselfe a prey or was accompted mad Therefore some could not stop the danger 2. And others would not quench the fier supposing that they could have done it but were subtill Incendiaries as that Preamble calls them brands and billowes 1 King 12. v. 10 11. like Rehoboams young Counsellers which were all for pressures and severity Or else as those false Prophets to King Ahab 1 King 22. v. 6. Goe up goe up and prosper was their cry But blessed be that God which hath the hearts of Kings in his hand and did guide the heart of our Soveraigne to hearken to that wiser Counsell of his better Senators Thus some could not others would not stanch the bloud 't is the Lord alone hath done it originally If any one present be not throughly convinced of this that this was the Lords speciall worke let him call to mind those Marks of Gods finger in a Deliverance which I have formerly mentioned and apply them They were these in short 1. 1 Sam 23. v. 26 When Deliverance commeth Suddenly in time of Extremity this is a signe of a divine finger So was it with David ver 27. when Saul and his men compassed David and his men round about in the hill of Hachilah But there came a messenger unto Saul saying Haste thee and come for the Philistines have invaded the land A strange providence it was that now when Saul had David as it were in a bagg the Lord did send Philistines who were also Davids enemies to pluck back Saul by the sterne as it were and so to give freedome to the man after Gods own heart 2. When things are brought about by Contrariety Vnto the upright there ariseth light in the darknesse that is the wonder in the darknesse for dawning to arise out of darknesse Psal 112. v. 4. and then light out of that dawning it is naturall For Spring to succeed Winter and Summer to come after Spring it is also naturall But when high-noone shall spring out of deepe midnight
if it be bestowed upon us in a Prevention whereas should the Lord have suffered those evills now prevented to have come upon us in part and then had taken them off againe we should have given him greater prayse for a lesser favour But here you may aske me Quest what means can we use or what may we doe to see and value this branch of mercy which you call Prevention because mischiefes kept off did never come within kenne Though those evills which have bin prevented never came in kenne of dull and short-sighted eyes Answ yet let me tell you that every holy wise and gratefull Seer might and did perceive them to be many and grievous And that I may quicken those shorter sights give me leave to lend them some few perspective or spectacle glasses to quicken and strengthen their apprehensions First then see what a black Northerne cloud of warre and ruine did hang over our heads of late though it pleased the God of peace to blow it beyond us so that it did not breake and fall upon this Island What head can guesse what heart can bewaile sufficiently the probable end and issue of those intestine commotions utter destruction of one Kingdome who knowes which was the best issue that could in likelyhood be hoped But of this I have spoken before 2d. Prevention is of Treasons more then one yea since the sitting of this Parliament 1. One in England who can be ignorant thereof a plot it seemes it was both against that highest Councell and the whole Kingdome the lesse we doe know of it the greater in my judgement and the deeper should it be thought Sure I am of these two things in print First that some of the plotters are fled and pursued by Proclamation a Nationall Hue and Cry is gone after them Secondly the Preamble to that thrice worthy Protestation doth declare how some endeavours had bin used to bring the English Army into a misconstruction of the present Parliament The Prevention of this Treason because as yet some what unknown to us may deserve the more of our prayses and prayers 2. And another in Scotland too as doth appeare by their proceedings in that Kingdome 3. Prevention is of a Tyranicall Arbitrary governement That some did attempt this is too too evident by many arguments The Preface to the Protestation the late Extrajudiciall opinions the strange Arbitrary proceedings in Courts suppressed and finally the just censure and execution of that trayterous Earle doe all manifest the same thing Brethren these Arbitrary men are the persons which would have made the whole body Politique like a child sick of the Rickets The Rickets is a disease in Children which causeth an extraordinary growth or rather swelling in the upper parts of the body toward the head but the lower members all the while doe pine languish and waste away and therefore 't is not so much a naturall nutrition as an unnaturall corruption of the whole body Let us conclude our prayses for this Prevention with those verses of David Ps 18.48 He delivereth me from mine enemies yea thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me ver 49. thou hast delivered me from the violent man Therefore will I give thanks unto thee ô Lord among the heathen and sing prayses unto thy name 4th Prevention is of Superstition and Popery No no saith many a man Ob. I cannot be so weake as to conceive that they could have brought in Popery nor so uncharitable as to thinke that they would have done it Because this doubt or Objection is somewhat Common Sol. and that the contrary opinion is thought to be but the evill surmizings and uncharitable jealousie of some puritanicall spirits I shall therefore spend some time to answer it But first let me premise a Caution Brethren Caution there are some certaine sorts of persons which will not which must not take an answer and be convinced of this poynt that the innovating guilty faction would have brought in Popery As First all your Delinquents that have had a finger in the pye your guilty persons that are the foremost parties in the case these must not beleeve this nor be convinced Secondly all their Dependents too that doe any way hang upon the guilty faction or have neere relations unto them You must also give these men leave to be hard of beliefe in this point Thirdly yea and all others which in their Sermons and discourses by their pennes purses or otherwise have engaged themselves against the Scots perhaps or for the late innovations and illegall impositions All these and all the rest of the like kinde must not see Reason or ground why any one should thinke that they could or would have brought in Popery But for others which are innocent free and ingenious if they make this question now I answer them And first let me speake to that part of the Objection that they could not have brought in Popery 1. True it is if we looke upon our Soveraigne we have a gratious orthodox fixed protestant Majesty As appeareth not only by his constant firmenesse when he was in Spaine the Shop of Popery but by his Royall promises Vow Oath and practice ever since he swayed the Scepter And in this respect we must presume and conclude that they could never have brought it in 2. But yet when I looke upon the nature of the Popish Religion with what wiles and violence it makes it's way where once it enters how it marcheth over Crownes and Scepters and swimmes to it 's owne end through all sorts of bloud And when I call to mind the strange prevalency and power of some in passing the late Oath and Canons to the prejudice of the King and Kingdome then I am farre from the peremptorinesse of those which doe so boldly affirme that they could never have brought in Popery So much for the could not 2. But for that other part of the Objection touching the will and intention of that party that they would not have done it pardon I cannot be so Vncharitable Blinde or Vndutifull as not to think that they would have brought it in First not so Vncharitable namely to those many Orthodox able holy judgements which are cleare and strong of this opinion True t was thought by some godly and judicious ones at first that Arminianisme was the only aime and end of the Innovatours but they did soone out-shoot this marke and so shewed that that heresie was but their stalking-horse Next it was guessed they did drive at Lutheranisme but at last it was both seen and felt that nothing lesse then flat Popery perhaps French Popery indeed could terminate their desires I cannot therefore be so Vncharitable to such considerable judgements as to thinke that they Would not have brought it in And indeed this alone in my judgement is true Charity if a man be so charitable as that withall he may keepe the truth for there is a kind of Crudelis miscricordia