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	life_n	saul_n	1,175	5	9.4858	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A25421	The right government of thoughts, or, A discovery of all vain, unprofitable, idle, and wicked thoughts with directions for the getting, keeping, and governing of good thoughts, digested into chapters for the ease of the reader : whereunto are added four sermons / by ... John Angel ...	Angel, John, d. 1655.; T. B.	1659 (1659)	Wing A3162A; ESTC R13149	89,280	271

worst men especially and from which regenerate persons are in a great measure set free Let us come to speak of the first sort of these wicked thoughts I call them wicked for they have not onely vanity in them but also sin and this is when thoughts of evil draw in the will and affections to a complacency to a wishing and longing and sometimes a fainting desire to enjoy some unlawlfull thing suppose an unlawful pleasure or some unjust gain ungodly honour unwarrantable victory bloody spoyle or such like Gen. So Eve saw the forbidden fruit as a thing to be desired so Amnon lusted after his sister Thamar till he became as one of the fooles of Israel So Ahab coveted Naboth's vineyard till he was sick with desiring and wicked in gaining the possession So Absolon thought of a kingdom and is and so ambitiously covetous of it that he attempts to usurp the Crown though by unnatural rebellion against his Father This is that which the Apostle calls the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life 1 John 2. 16. which are the three great idols of the world This wickednesse in thoughts so farre pleaseth some that when they cannot enjoy the thing desired yet they account it a speculative happiness to have the thing desired in their minds though it be but an image thereof it pleaseth the covetous man to dream of his Bonds Bills Morgages Assurances dayes of payment and this earthly mindednesse will let him mind nothing else so another tosseth fleshly pleasures from one thought to another and from one desire to another when the power of the flesh perisheth in them they grow to feed their phansies with contemplative fornications in the like case the contentious man dreams of wrangling suits the man of blood of fire and faggots swords and battels Thus the great mans thoughts are taken up with his honours revenues attendancies the Gallant with his gay clothes the old man pleaseth his phansy with remembrances and discourses of what he hath been and what he hath done the young man with what he may be his hopes and possibilities delight him as if they were present enjoyments thus the imagination of things that are not work upon us the same affections as if they were Jacob doth as feelingly grieve for the supposed death of Joseph as if he had been dead indeed and so men take the same delight in their supposed wickednesses as if they were really effected These and such like thoughts in the heart are the things which defile a man whether they be proud imaginations or covetous thoughts thoughts of revenge against others or thoughts of Blasphemy against God of what kind soever our thoughts are if they draw in the will to consent unto their evill they are wicked thoughts they are wicked suo genere in their own nature but when they work the will into co-partnership they are higher in the degree of wickednesse it is sin but to think that which is evil but to think of it with liking and consent is a greater degree of sin God reproves him and setteth his sins in order before his face who saw the thief and consented unto him and was partaker with the adulterer Psal 50. 18. 23. The second sort of wicked thoughts come to passe when the thoughts having gained upon the heart to delight in evil and with a kind of roveing desire to expect it the understanding also is drawn in by an opinion of an imaginary happinesse to plot and bestirre it self unto the furthest of its natural or acquired invention to produce by all means the evil thought upon into action This in every kind is the height and extremity of evill thoughts this person so devising to do mischief is probably the man whom Saint John puts into the Devils mouth saying He that com-commits sin is of the Devill 1 Joh. 3. 8. That is not only thinks of it and delights in it but also plots for it so the Devil sins from the beginning desiring plotting contriving acting it himself and tempting others to it of such a remarkable person the wise man saith he that deviseeth evill that is by resolved devising all means and leaving no stone unturned men shall call him the Authour of sin Prov. 24. 8. or a mischievous person against these thoughts and the thinkers of them the Prophet Micha exclaimes Woe unto them that devise iniquity and work evill upon their beds when the morning is light they practise it because it is in the power of their hands Micah 2. 1. Such are the thoughts of the men of this world their hearts are filled with an hidden treasure of evil inventions how to do mischief and when they have done it they lay plots how to dawb over their unanswerable actions and endeavours with witty and deceitful Apologies to prevent the evil opinions and speeches of men for though the thoughts of the just are Righteous yet the counsels of the wicked are deceipt These wicked thoughts have much of their Father the devil in them for he is full of devices or wiles whereof the righteous are not ignorant 2 Cor. 2. 11. and so are all wicked men and more when they are men of parts and place in the world Solomon notes that there is a a man of wicked devices that is one that desires and plots wickednesse Prov. 12. 2. so the Churle deviseth wicked devices to destroy the poor Isa 37. 2. And David speaks of his enemy that he devised mischief upon his bed Psal 36. 4. if that enemy there meant was Saul 't is manifest that he oftentime thought in his heart to kill David and laid many snares for him to take away his life some ignorantly think that nothing is sinful that is not acted by the bodies instruments but alas 't is but their ignorance and therefore also the vanity of their thoughts for a Prophet records it for a truth the heart of a vile person will work iniquity Isa 〈…〉 in sin there is heart-work and head-work as well as hand-work CHAP. VI. ANd thus I have also discovered those evil thoughts which surpasse the dulnesse and vanities of them being in themselves evil and infecting the heart with wicked complacency and the understanding with wicked inventions Having thus far proceeded in searching out the errours and wickednesse of mens thoughts I shall now endeavour by the assistance of God to prescribe some remedies or means of redresse and the Remedies will be of two sorts the first equally oppose all errours of our throughts whether dull or vain or wicked the second are more particular fitted to cure some kind or other and not so much respecting all First the mind that travelleth and feeleth it self heavy laden with any of the former incumbrances and would be refreshed with the rest of God must make a conscience of his thoughts contrary to the common opinion of Carnalists and time-serving Formalists who think and often say it That Thought is free