Selected quad for the lemma: enemy_n
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A52808
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The crown and glory of a Christian consisting in a sound conversion and well ordered conversation.
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Ness, Christopher, 1621-1705.
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1676
(1676)
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Wing N450; ESTC R26867
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31,261
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167
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calls you 2. Of Conscience what satisfaction you find there both concerning the lawfulness and the expediency of the action 3. Of the word which ought to warrant all our actions as it is the rule of all Righteousness and 4ly of the Spirit which gives its testimony to all the aforesaid the fruits of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth Eph. 5. 9. and witnesses with our spirits that we are in Gods way and in our own duty The voice of Providence alone may deceive you as it might have done David had Abishai's apprehensions prevailed with him as 1 Sam. 26. 8. God hath delivered thine enemy Saul into thine hand this day he would not have David to tempt God any longer by letting slip this so fair an opportunity but holy David had the three other voices to hearken unto as well as that voice of Providence ver 9 10 11 neither the Word would warrant him nor his own spirit nor the spirit of God which last hinder'd Paul and Silas from going into Asia and Bithynia Act. 16. 6 7. 14. In things wherein self may sway it is safest for you to be passive in such cases you will be strongly tempted both by a subtil devil and by a deceitful heart to out-run God both in his Promises and in his Providences as Israel in Numb 14.40 We will go up unto the place which the Lord hath promised they must needs go up that very morning for self swayed their hearts that way though the pillar of Providence which was their guide by night and by day did not go before them and though they plead Gods promise yet they did not consider Gods promises are fealed but they are not dated You must wait therefore in such cases of self Gods time your time will be always ready when Gods time is not yet Joh. 7. 6. You would have your water of affliction turned into the wine of consolation at your time but Christ saith to you as he said to his Mother What have I to do with thee woman mine hour is not yet come Joh. 2.4 the day you set down in your Kalendar is not the same that God sets down in his we are all exceeding prone to post-date the divine threatnings and to antidate the divine promises we all put the evil day far from us Amos 6. 3. Ezek. 12. 27. When God comes in his threatnings we think he hath leaden feet and is slow in pace 2 Pet. 3.4 9 but when we expect him to come in his promises then we look upon him as a Roe and as a young hind in the mountains of Bether 5ly Of watching your heart in natural civil and religious actions First in General 1. Concerning your Natural Actions as labouring resting feeding and clothing c. you had need keep your heart with all diligence in respect of these Prov. 4. 23 lest you sin in them for the adversary hath some advantages over gracious spirits in them all as first that being satisfied about the lawfulness of these actions Satan will make you overlook the expediency of them 2ly He may at some time or other cheat you with divine permission for divine approbation And 3ly he may likewise deceive you in putting no just difference 'twixt the use and abuse of your Christian liberty 2. Touching the first of these let Satan tempt you to any gross sin your heart will rise with indignation against such a foul temptation and 't will be a torment to you to be tempted to it yea as much torment to your soul as sawing asunder and being slain with the sword is torment to the body Hebr. 11. 37 to be tempted is there placed betwixt those two kinds of death as if it were equally dolorous with either or both of them so that foul sins do not so much endanger your soul as it is in those lawful actions wherein Satan may more slily and insensibly beguile you out of a lawfulness into an inexpediency 3. Touching the second of them you must learn this distinction from Gods Word that though God permitted polygamy and divorces under the Jewish Poedagogy yet it was only for the hardness of their hearts Mat. 19. 8 But it was not so from the beginning saith Christ that divine dispensation for better an inconvenience than a mischief makes but little for the lawfulness of it neither can it amount to a divine approbation 4. Touching the third of them those actions that be of themselves and in their own nature lawful yet through your corruption they are capable of excess and inordinateness the sly and subtil insinuations of Satan under a pretence of your own Christian liberty in going as far as you may will carry you sometimes a little further than you should Excessive immoderate and inordinate delight is sinful although it be in objects that are not sinful in themselves This in the general concerning all those actions 2ly In particular 1. Of Labour 1. Touching Natural Actions in particular as first of labour whether it be done in the sweat of the brow or of the brain indeed a Ministers labour consists of both you must at least own one of those God made the Leviathan to sport in the Sea but nevery any man to sport on the earth every man must go forth to some work or other till the evening Psal 104. 23 26 there must be either manual or mental labour 2. Take those few directions to manage your heart in your honest employment and labour Direct 1. First beg of God for ability of body in your labour 't was part of the Serpents curse Gen. 3. 14 Vpon thy belly shalt thou go some think that God cut him shorter by the feet because he is ranked among the beasts of the field v. 1 and not among creeping things Have you the use of your limbs for your labour Oh bless God for it especially if you be strong to labour if it be a priviledg in oxen Psal 144. 24 much more in men Dir. 2. Pray that your mind may be suitable to your labour as well as your body when there is unsuitableness 'twixt the mind of man and his employment then the work never comes kindly off nor goes it comfortably end-ways either your chariot-wheels are taken off then you drive heavily or they want Unction and then they make a creaking repining noise much unlike the Chariots of Aminadab or of a willing people as the word signifies 'T is the Lord that qualified Bezaleel that was but a poor Brick-maker in Egypt for working all curious work Exod. 31. 3. And the Husband-mans God doth teach him and instruct him in all his points of Husbandry Isa 28. 26. Direct 3. See that you pursue your worldly employment with an heavenly frame of heart setting God always before you Psal 16. 8 and being in the fear of God all the day long Prov. 23. 17 evermore sending forth spiritual Ejaculations as Nehemiah and David did this is to pray always Eph. 6. 18
much more in that for Eternity oh be not sleight herein but dwell with your thoughts upon it You know he that rides post through a Country can never draw a distinct Map of that Countrey which requires many pauses for viewing every particular boundary c. So if you ride post with your swift thoughts in your circuit thorough the Isle of Man you cannot take a distinct account of your self in order to those four grand Questions You must walk round about your self and go round that little world as they did about Sion Ps 48. 12 13 that they might tell the towers thereof and mark well her bulwarks yea and consider her palaces c. 10. Then hath your Spiritual consideration a blessed issue when you dwell upon it with your fixed thoughts until Christ appear your chiefest good and sin your chiefest evil David did turn his ways upside down as the Hebrew word chishabli deraki signifies Psal 119. 59. in his own secret thoughts and consideration The Noun of which Verb to wit chesheb signifies opus phrygionicum an embroider'd garment which is the same on both sides they that work them must often turn them first on one side and then on the other Thus David would turn his way every way and must have them both sides alike both that side towards God and that side towards man for the ways of many men have a shining outside towards man and yet their inside is rugged uneven and uncomely towards God Sordet in conspectu judicis quod fulget in conspectu operantis saith the Father but Christ saith better That which is highly esteemed amongst men is an abomination in the sight of God Luk. 16. 15. 11. As you must turn your ways every way and upside down according to the Hebrew reading of that Psal 119. 59. So must you make a Dialogue with your self according to the Greek reading The Septuagint reads it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I made a dialogue with my self about my own ways I argued this point to an issue whether the ways of God or the ways of sin were better and when I understood that the paths of sin go down to death I turned my feet from the ways of sin to the ways of God Thus must you upon sound consideration and deliberation find out sin to be the way to Gods curse but Christ the way to Gods blessing He is the way Joh. 14. 6. Walk in him Col. 2. 6. 12. When sin appears to you the greatest evil as Christ the greatest good then you cannot let any sin live peaceably in you no nor come peaceably to you be it little or great you must have tenderness of spirit Josiah had a tender heart 2 King 22. 19. 2 Chron. 34. 27. Such as are of tender Constitutions cannot endure the least cold wind to blow upon them therefore they cry shut the casement and bolt the door I shall catch cold thus to a tender heart the least cold air of sin is irksome the door of your heart must be shut against sin the greatest evil yet open for Christ the chiefest good Ezek. 44. 2 3 That door is for the Prince the Prince of life no other guest must enter in 4ly Of your Conversation respecting both others and your self 1. In respect of others both those without and within 1. To those without 1. You must walk wisely to them and honestly with them Col. 4. 5. Neither giving offence carelesly nor taking offence causelesly 1 Cor. 10. 32 Giving no offence to any either Greek or Jew but walking handsomely as the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies 1 Thes 4. 12. That by your well-doing you may not only put to silence the ignorance of foolish men stopping their mouths from speaking evil of you 1 Pet. 2. 15. But also by your convincing-life cause them to open their mouths in commending you that all which see you may acknowledg you that you are a seed which the Lord hath blessed Isa 61. 9. 2. You may not be conformed to the corrupt customs and courses of this present evil world Rom. 12. 2 especially those that are set down Rom. 13. 13. Eph. 4. 18 19 20. 1 Pet. 4 3. Plain Jacob can never be comely in the rough garments of prophane Esau but you must be transformed or metamorphos'd as the word signifies by the renewing of your heart and life the old frame must be dissolved and a new one acquired that you may prove by your practice what is good that perfect and acceptable will of God and shew to all men that Ego non sum Ego I am not the same man I was as the Convert did to the Harlot solliciting him again to leudness that all may behold an heart-changing and a life-changing work wrought effectually in you 3. Be careful that the world outstrip you not in any moral action you may not do less than others when your Lord commands you to do more than others Mat. 5 47 as Christ hath done singular things for you in shewing you singular grace and mercy so he both expects and requires singular things from you you must be eminent in good works Tit. 2. 14. and get above others having your feet where other mens heads are The way of the righteous is above to the wise Prov. 15. 24. He goes an higher way to work than the ordinary frame of the world he knows that more than the common stint is required of him he must do that which the world will never do and that is he must walk 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 accurately endeavouring to get up to the very top of godliness as the word in the original signifies Eph. 5. 15. 4. Let your righteousness and innocency be as a breast-plate and brazenwall to you against all reproaches knowing assuredly that there will be a Resurrection of Names as well as of bodies at the last Psal 37. 6 God will bring forth your righteousness as the morning-light though the earth be covered with darkness while night lasts yet the morning drives it away while your life gives your reproaches the lye God will clear up your wronged innocency dirt may stick upon a mud-wall but it will not do so upon Marble 5. Evermore account it better for you to suffer an hundred injuries rather than to offer one the latter will bring guilt on you but the former comfort Had David shed the blood of Nabal c. from which he was prevented by Abigals prudence it would undoubtedly have been greater grief and offence of heart to him as she told him 1 Sam. 25. 31. than all his sorrows and sufferings from bloody Saul Abigail argued thus with him As thou never took revenge heretofore so thou may not now and David blesses God for preventing him v. 32. 6. Beware the society of such persons from which you cannot come off without either guilt or grief and amongst whom you must either countenance sin or contract sin While Peter was warming his hands amongst the enemies