Selected quad for the lemma: enemy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
enemy_n	david_n	hand_n	saul_n	2,591	5	9.7819	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65936	That great duty and comfortable evidence (keeping our selves from our iniquity) opened and applied in some sermons upon Psal. 18, 23 / by John Whitlock.	Whitlock, John, 1625-1709.	1698 (1698)	Wing W2029; ESTC R26359	57,005	130

THAT Great Duty AND Comfortable Evidence Keeping our selves from our iniquity Opened and applied in some SERMONS upon Psal 18.23 By John Whitlock Minister of the Gospel in Nottingham LONDON Printed for Thomas Parkhurst and are to be sold by John Richards Bookseller at Nottingham 1698. The Epistle to the Reader Christian Reader IT is not any desire of appearing in Print but meer importunity that hath prevailed with me to publish the few following Sheets For tho' I would not decline any thing that might tend to the honour of God and the spiritual good of any and tho' the Subject treated of viz. Mens finding out and keeping themselves from their iniquity be a matter of great and constant importance and that wherein much of the life of Religion and the power of Godliness doth lye yet this hath been so excellently and practically handled by the Reverend Dr. Bates that I could hardly prevail with my self to give my consent to the publishing of these Notes but have been at length overcome by the sollicitations of some whom I must confess I was leath to deny as being bound to honour them for their close walk with God and Zeal to propagate the Kingdom of Christ and the practice of real Holiness These Sermons as now printed with very little variation as to heads or expressions were preached forty years since in publick Anno 1657. and having occasion this year in a Lord's day course of Sermons upon Isa 53. to preach somewhat to the same effect upon those words in the 6th verse of that Chapter We have turned every one to his own way I was desired to print and have printed according to the Notes preached so long since when I spoke more largely to the Subject than I did when I returned upon it this year This is a true account of the occasion of these Sheets appearing thus in publick which it was convenient thou shouldst be acquainted with I shall add no more but my earnest prayers that God would make this Word profitable to my self and all that shall read it and to request thy prayers for me whom God hath graciously brought almost to the close of my seventy third year that God would be pleased more and more to fulfil to me that good Word of his Grace that they that are planted in the House of the Lord shall still bring forth fruit in Old Age they shall be fat and flourishing to the praise of the faithfulness and skill of God the blessed Husbandman and of the fatness and virtue of Christ the true Vine By such Christian remembrances of me at the Throne of Grace thou wilt exceedingly oblige him who earnestly desires more Grace to approve himself while in this Tabernacle The faithful Servant of Christ and Souls JOHN WHITLOCK Nottingham Jan. 1. 1657 8. That Great Duty and comfortable Evidence Keeping our selves from our Iniquity Psalm 18.23 I was also upright before him and I kept my self from mine iniquity THIS Psalm is a Psalm of Thanksgiving the occasion of which the Title of the Psalm acquaints us with viz. the Lord 's delivering of the Psalmist from the hands of all his Enemies and from the hand of Saul But I shall not spend time in looking back to the foregoing verses but come immediately to the Text it self wherein you have these two parts or things considerable 1. David's solemn and serious profession of his sincerity I was also upright before or with him 2. The proof and evidence of this his sincerity and I kept my self from mine iniquity Briefly to open the words I was also upright before him i. e. sincere in the bent of my heart approving my heart to God setting the Lord before me carrying my self in the habitual frame of my heart and in the general course of my conversation as under God's Eye This being upright is in the Scripture in several places stiled being perfect Gen. 17.1 Walk before me and be thou perfect or as it is in the Margin upright or sincere so Job 1.1 8. c. 2. v. 3. Job is said to be a perfect and upright man the latter word explains the former No meer man on Earth is legally perfect with a perfection of degrees for legal perfection is full conformity to God a sinless perfection but every true Believer is Evangelically perfect that is upright and sincere perfect with a perfection of parts as a Child that hath all its faculties and members is a perfect Child tho' it be not arrived at its full growth and stature Yea the Believer is perfect in his design and aim breathing and endeavouring after perfection and shall at last immediately after death be made perfect in holiness And I kept my self from mine iniquity i. e. I watched over my heart observed my self used all means of God's appointing to keep my self from sin David doth not arrogate to himself or ascribe his keeping himself from his iniquity to his own strength either of Nature or of Grace received for he was very sensible and readily acknowledged that he could not keep himself but that it was God his special Grace and the continued and renewed Aids of his Spirit that could keep him from his iniquities and inable him to walk uprightly before him that it was God in Christ it was Jesus he looked to as the Author and finisher of his Faith and all other Graces but he knew God works by means and on men not as stocks or stones but they must use God's approved means to keep them and tho' they be passive in the turning act of Conversion yet God then infuses a principle of spiritual life into them and requires they should use the means depending upon God by Faith Prayer and Watchfulness to make them effectual for the keeping them from their iniquities From mine iniquities i. e. that special sin which he found himself most prone to and was most easily and frequently foiled and overcome by which by his constitution condition of life or temptation he lay more peculiarly open to that which in his unregenerate state was his beloved sin and after his Conversion might be his tyrannizing and too often prevailing corruption He might probably in his distressed condition when persecuted by Saul be tempted to impatience unbelief lying making hast using indirect means revenge and the like and he indeavoured to keep himself from these The Doctrine is Doct. It is the duty of all that profess to be God's people and an evidence of their sincerity to keep themselves from their special sins those which they are most prone to and may properly call their iniquities Now for the handling of this Doctrine I shall 1. Lay down several Propositions for the more clear opening of it 2. Shew wherein mens own iniquities do lye and where men may search for them so as to be able to find out what their special sins are This I shall do somewhat towards in the Doctrinal part but in the Application more fully shew the signs of those

their Bodies to get Estates and provide Portions for them but no care to instruct them to bring them to Ordinances to press them to Duties and to look after the Graces of God's Spirit Faith Repentance new Obedience and to give them good Examples Are not these some of them at least your peculiar iniquities Or are you not guilty on the other hand of too much severity and provoking your Children to wrath keeping them at too great a distance not allowing them necessaries or conveniencies suitable to their condition rank or age and thereby making them weary of your Government if not of your Lives and tempting them to be more extravagant when they come to have Estates or Power in their own hands for your iniquities that are Parents may lye on this hand And you Children is it not or hath it not been your iniquity that you have been disobedient to Parents not hearkning to their Instructions and Counsels not following the Examples of Godly Parents not reverencing them yea not relieving and maintaining them when Old and Poor And you Masters or Mistresses is not your iniquity too much severity and sharpness towards Servants neglecting their Bodies not providing necessaries for them not allowing them due Food or Sleep not teaching them the lawful honest Mysteries of their Callings or however taking no care for their Souls exacting of them to work for you to the utmost but taking no care to further their working out their own Salvation giving them no time for Duty to God Reading Prayer or any other publick Ordinances or Family or Secret Duties but working them so hard keeping them up so late raising them up so early to your work that they have no time for Religious Duties or else sleep at them which in this case will be more your sin than theirs And you Servants search whether your iniquities are not or have not been sloth carelesness of your Master's or Mistresse's business wastfulness as to Family Provisions unfaithfulness or purloining irreverence in your speeches and carriage not governing your Tongues but answering again giving word for word and sawciness in your speeches O! all of you inquire whether relative sins be not your prevailing if not reigning iniquities and if they be be deeply humbled for them and by Faith Prayer and Watchfulness endeavour to keep your selves from them for the future 4. Persons should search for their iniquities in the various Estates and Conditions whether high or low of prosperity or adversity they may by the Providence of God be brought into There are special sins that persons through inward corruption lye open to in their various conditions whether prosperous or adverse In a prosperous state when men abound in Riches or Honours enjoy Health and have all comfortable Accommodations about them the sins that are likely to prove their reigning or at least prevailing iniquities are Pride Security Psal 30.6 Luxury Unthankfulness for Forgetfulness and Non-improvement of Mercies making them Fewel to their Lusts Gluttony Drunkenness Uncleanness Oppression despising of others not strengthening the hands of the poor and needy but laying out all on their backs and bellies in superfluities and excesses Ezek. 16.49 when Riches flow in setting their hearts upon them Psal 62.10 1 Tim. 6.17 when men are rich in the world they are ready to be high-minded and to trust in uncertain Riches Search whether some of these have not been at least thy prevaling corruptions when thou hast been in a full and prosperous condition And if persons be in an afflicted low condition there are peculiar sins that in such a condition persons are like to be tempted to such as impatience under God's hand discontent with their present condition murmuring and repining against God quarrelling with Men and Instruments unbelief and distrust of God's Providence and Promises using indirect means to prevent or get out of Troubles revenge upon Enemies and the second Causes of their Afflictions some of these were the particular iniquities David found himself strongly tempted to when he was persecuted by Saul and which he had a special Eye to in the Text how was he foiled by unbelief when he said All men were lyars 1 Sam. 27.1 and Psal 116.11 So when he changed his behaviour before and afterward joyned with Achish yet through the Grace of God he kept himself from the reigning power of these his iniquities Inquire whether these be not thy iniquities under affliction 5. Men should seek and oft may find out what their particular reigning or at least tyrannizing corruptions are by looking into the several Ages of their Life for as every Constitution Imployment Relation and Condition hath its peculiar Sins and Temptations attending and following it as the shadow doth the body so every Age of Man's Life hath its peculiar sins Not to instance much in Infancy and Childhood tho' even for those sins we should be humbled all our days How soon do Frowardness Pride Anger Revenge Self-will and Stubbornness shew themselves in us and in Childhood how apt are we to be taken only with trifles given wholly to Sports and Plays and unwilling to learn But especially in Youth how do youthful lusts abound which Timothy is warned to flee from 2 Tim. 2.22 Solomon says Childhood and Youth are vanity which caused David to pray Remember not the sins of my Youth Psal 25.7 And Job complains God made him possess the sins of his Youth Job 13.26 The sins this Age of Life is most over-run with are Pride Prodigality Self-conceit Untractableness turning a deaf Ear to the Counsels of the Aged and with Rehoboam making Young Men their Counsellors not caring to advise with Aged Experienced Persons but with green heads raw and rash Persons like themselves thus Disobedience to Parents Masters Mistresses or other Superiours Inordinate love of Pleasures and Recreations and of Bad Company of Gluttonous Drunken Gaming Wanton Persons and so being drawn to these sins spending their Time in Drinking-houses and their Time and Estates in Gaming and hereby being drawn to Swearing Sabbath-profanation and scorning of Godliness Such dirty ways is Youth inclined to and too commonly defiled with Psal 119.9 O you Young Men and Women see whether some of these be not your beloved Lusts or if you have some Grace whether they be not domineering corruptions in you and let it be your cares as you would evidence your Sincerity to keep your selves from these youthful Lusts Art thou come to riper Years to strength of Body and Mind the prevailing iniquities of this Age are usually greediness of Gain Earthly-mindedness resolving to be rich by right or wrong Pride Ambition aspiring after Places of Profit Power and Honour suffering covetous ambitious Designs to swallow up their time and hearts so as to neglect Heaven and heavenly things their own Souls and the Souls of others the Duties of Divine Worship Publick Private Secret and Inward heart-duties and other duties they owe to God and both to the Souls and Bodies of Men and