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
B05799	A Serious and faithfull representation of the judgements of ministers of the gospell within the province of London. Contained in a letter from them to the generall and his counsel of warre./ Delivered to his excellency by some of the subscribers, Jan. 18. 1649.	Gataker, Thomas, 1574-1654.	1649 (1649)	Wing S2604BA; ESTC R188958	10,899	12

your own and promise your selves Successe therein Nay if through Gods permission for reasons best known to himself you have had or may have Successe in an Evil way yet is it no justification thereof nor incouragement to proceed therein Yea you know that it is one of the greatest Judgements when God suffers men to prosper in sinfull courses Wise Solomon tels us from his own experience that there be sometimes just men to whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked again There be wicked men to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous Ecclesi 8.14 There is a just man that perisheth in his righteousnesse and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his wickednesse Eccles 7 15. But because sentence against an evill work is not executed speedily shall therefore the heart of the sons of men be fully set in them to do evill Eccles 8.11 God forbid And therefore the Providence of God which is so often pleaded in justification of your wayes is no safe rule to walk by especially in such acts as the Word of God condemnes God doth not approve the practise of whatsoever his providence doth permit When David in the cave had an opportunity to destroy Saul who was then in actuall pursuance of him for his life Davids men make use of such an Argument from Providence Behold say they the day of which the Lord said unto thee Behold I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee 1 Sam. 14 4 6 7 13. but David neither durst himself nor would permit his men to make use thereof but saith The Lord forbid that I should do this thing unto my Master the Lords Anoynted to stretch forth my hand against him Again when David found Saul sleeping in his Trench behold a Providence might Abishai have said God saith he hath delivered thine enemy into thine hand this day now therefore let me smite him c. 1 Sam. 26.8.9 No saith David Destroy him not for who can stretch forth his hand against the Lords Annointed and be guiltlesse But if to follow providence had been a sufficient warrant David should have taken another course In summe if this be a good warrant nothing can be a sin for nothing can come to passe at all unlesse the permissive Providence of God afford an opportunity Nor is it safe to be guided by impulses of Spirit or pretended impressions on your hearts without or against the rule of Gods written Word For by this meanes the temptations of Satan and the motions of Gods spirit will be put in equall ballance And we desire you likewise to consider whether any History sacred or prophane recordeth any example of an impulse of Spirit falling upon Multitudes of persons at the same time putting them all at once upon performances contrary to Morall Precepts as also whether such persons who are acted by an impulse of spirit can Command others who want it nay who do not so much as pretend to have it to do that unto which themselves pretend to be so incited We know that it is the duty of Christians to try such instigations by the Word of God and examine how well they agree thereunto that they may accordingly Judge whether it bee the voice of God or the voice of Satan and of their own corrupt hearts that prompteth them Tothe Law and to the Testimony if they speak not according to this word it is because there is no light in them Isa 28.20 The Apostle Peter directs the Jewes to whom he wrote to adhere to the word written as to a more sure word of prophesie 2 Pet. 1.19 By the same Rule whereby we must try the spirits we must also try the impulses of spirit otherwise we do exceedingly strengthen the divels hands against our owne soules and tempt him to tempt us If beyond all this you plead Necessity of doing thus least what you pretend as a glorious worke might else miscarry and therefore venture on these wayes which are by your selves confessed to be irregular and not justifyable Wee answer that no necessity can oblige a man to sinne God stands not in need of our sin to carry on his owne worke Will yee speak wickedly for God and talk deceitfully for him saith Job Job 13.7 And yet this Plea of necessity is of the lesse weight in your case because wee fear the ends you aime at are no more justifiable then the meanes you use and the necessity pleaded is either meerly pretended or at least contracted by your owne miscarriages But if at any time a precept of God may be dispensed with upon a necessity Yet we suppose your selves will grant That this necessity must be Absolute Present and Clear not Doubtfull Uncertain and Conjesturall as that which is alledged in your case must needs be it being discerned only by your selves and your own patty It is most apparent to us that there was of late no necessity at all of these your irregular practises the Parliament being till forced by you full and free acting what was Covenanted for and if we mistake not what was agreed upon long before by the Parliaments of both Kingdoms Besides you have engaged your selves by an Oath to preserve his Majesties person and the Priviledges of Parliament and this is most clear That no necessity can justifie perjury or dispence with lawfull Oathes That dreadfull flying Roll being ready to seise upon him that sweareth falsly by the Name of God Zach 5.4 An example of which severe judgement from God for the violation of an Oath you have in SAUL who though he did out of a good intention in his zeal to the children of Israel slay the Gibeonites a people formerly accursed and who had fallaciously procured a Covenant from JOSHua above two hundred years before 2 Sam. 21.1 2 6. yet for SAULS breaking of that Covenant was the whole Kingdome of Israel and his posterity in particular most severely punished by GOD. We do therefore upon the whole matter seriously beseech you as in the sight of God to recede from these evil ways contain your selves within your own bounds to learn John Baptists Lesson for Souldiers Do violence to no man Luke 3.14 or put no man in fear neither accuse any man falsly and be content with your wages But if you persist in these wayes behold you have sinned against the Lord and be sure your sin will finde you out and take heed lest when the hand of God shall overtake you and turn the wheel upon you you be found to suffer both as evill doers and as busie-bodies in other mens matters 1 Pet. 4.15 And when you shall thus return to your duty as we shall have cause to blesse GOD for it so we shall not need to fear those threatnings which some of us have received we say not from your selves yet from Messengers directed as they informed us immediatly from your selves to some