Selected quad for the lemma: enemy_n
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a39328
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The great mystery of godlinesse opened being an exposition upon the whole ninth chapter of the epistle of Saint Paul to the Romans / by the late pious faithful servant of Jesus Christ, Mr. Edward Elton.
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Elton, Edward, d. 1624.
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1653
(1653)
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Wing E651; ESTC R40205
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342,638
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246
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and saving grace in thy soul It is not the having of the Gospel nor thy profession of Christianity thy profession being severed from faith and godlinesse that will shelter thee from the anger of God but rather make way for his wrath and cause his wrath to burst forth on thee more fiercely and increase his wrath and vengeance against thee And therefore deceive not thy self think not that any priviledge or good thing thou enjoyest not the holy Religion of God it self nor thy profession of it makes thee pleasing to God and acceptable with God thou wanting faith in Christ and saving grace in thine own heart Labour thou to get better assurance of Gods favour towards thee then the enjoyment and outward use of the holy Ordinances of God even true faith in Christ and saving grace in thy soul that is the thing that will yeeld thee good assurance that thou art beloved of God and accepted of him in his beloved Christ Jesus In the next place observe we that the Apostle doth here freely acknowledge the honour of the Jewes and the excellent priviledges the Lord had vouchsafed to them though they were at that time when the Apostle writ this Epistle and still are enemies to Christ and to his Gospel yea though they were mortal enemies to Paul himself and did wickedly oppose him and the doctrine of the Gospel taught by him as he saith 1 Thess 2.15 they both killed the Lord Jesus and their own Prophets and persecuted him and the other Apostles yet you see he conceales not their honour and their excellency but here freely acknowledgeth that to them did belong the adoption and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the service of God and the Promises The point for our further instruction hence offered is this That the known excellency and eminency of others ought to be acknowledged and respected whatsoever the persons be on whom it is bestowed Doctrine we are to acknowledge and to respect that known excellency and dignity and preferment God hath vouchsafed to others be it in place in gifts or in the good successe in the use of those gifts whatsoever the persons be that do enjoy it though they be wicked persons yea though they be our mortal enemies We see the Apostle did so in this place and thus also did David he acknowledged and respected the excellency and preferment which he knew the Lord had vouchsafed to Saul though Saul was a wicked man and his mortal enemy and one that sought the life of David yet David acknowledged him the Lords anointed and had respect to him as one advanced by the hand of God to the place of government 1 Sam. 24.6 he said to his men the Lord keep me from doing any thing to my Master the Lords anointed to lay mine hand upon him for he is the Lords anointed he doubleth his acknowledgment of it that he was the Lords anointed and so again 1 Sam. 26.11 The Lord keep me from laying mine hand upon the Lords anointed still David acknowledgeth wicked Saul his utter enemy the Lords anointed and thus did the Apostle acknowledge and respect the eminency and preferment of the heathen Emperours though they were enemies to the Gospel and cruel and bloudy persecutors both of the Apostle and of other Christians Yea Paul enjoyned the Christians so far to respect wicked and cruel Nero in regard of his eminency in place of government as to pray for him 1 Tim. 2.1 2. for Kings and for all that are in authority and so for the cruel Emperour Nero. As Jeremiah the Prophet enjoyned the people to pray for wicked Nebuchadnezzar by whom they were carried away into captivity Jer. 29.7 Philip. 1.18 we find that Paul acknowledged and that with rejoycing the good gifts of wicked Preachers and their sound preaching of Christ for the matter of their preaching though corruptly for the manner they preaching of envy or of vain glory what then saith the Apostle as if he had said that they preach of envy or strife what is that to me I acknowledge their good gifts and their preaching soundly for the matter and that Christ is preached all manner of wayes whether it be under a pretence or sincerely I therein joy yea and will joy a plain evidence and proof of the point in hand that we are to acknowledge and to respect the known excellency and dignity and preferment God hath vouchsafed to others be it in place in gifts or in good successe in the use of those gifts whatsoever the persons be on whom it is bestowed though they be rejected persons yea though they be our mortal enemies and there is good reason for it Reason Because indeed true excellency and dignity and preferment that any persons do enjoy in place in gifts or in good successe in the use of those gifts it comes from heaven as John saith Joh. 3.27 A man can receive nothing except it be given him from heaven and it is the stamp and image of God set on those persons and in it self it is good and excellent and cannot be stained or polluted by the vilenesse or sins of the persons on whom it is bestowed and therefore doubtlesse it is to be acknowledged and respected in whomsoever it is found though the persons that do enjoy it be wicked and though they be our mortal enemies Vse 1 Now then to drive this to some profitable use I might bend the force of this ground of truth in the first place against our adversaries the Papists who deny acknowledgment and respect to the eminency of some that are in the place of lawful authority over them And their Pope takes on him to dispence with it and to free some Subjects from their Allegiance to their lawful Princes and from all dutiful respect to their excellency and dignity because forsooth they are hereticks as they account of them but I passe by that The truth now delivered meets with a common corruption amongst many men it is a usual thing with many men through the strength of the corruption of their own hearts to dislike yea sometimes lightly to esteem of that excellency and that eminency and preferment that others do enjoy in place in gifts or in good successe in the use of those gifts because the persons that do enjoy them are such as they distaste and like not for some by-respects To instance doth not the wife many times lightly esteem of her husband because haply he is a simple man or he is a poor and mean person in the world it may be the poorest man in the place where he liveth doth not a servant usually cast off all due respect to his Master because he is a man of mean place and of base condition yea is it not a common thing with many to deny acknowledgment and due respect to the Minister of Jesus Christ because it may be they spie some infirmity in him or because of the meannesse of his person he
precise fellow yet know that it were better for thee to go to heaven with a few in the narrow gate then with many to the broad way to destruction Matth. 7.13 FINIS A Table for the Ninth Chapter of the Epistle to the Romans A ABrahams true seed who they are page 69 Acts of God have special and particular ends page 143 Adoption external what it signifieth page 26 Anabaptists confuted page 37 86 Anabaptists and Familists confuted page 137 Anathema what it is page 18 Arminians confuted concerning Election and Vniversal Redemption page 84 86 Astrology judicial censured page 78 79 80. Assurance of Salvation how attained page 206 c. B BLame of sin apt to be laid from our selves page 160 Blindnesse of minde the misery of it page 141 Blindnesse of ' the world in misjugding of the state and condition of Gods children page 225 Bring born under the same position of the stars preventeth not difference of disposition page 78 C CAlled some at one hour some at another page 101 Calling effectual an evidence and token of one in Covenant with God page 61 Calling effectual a ground of good assurance of Salvation page 205 A special evidence of Election page 206 without respect of persons or qualification page 209 Calling wrought by the word and Spirit of God page 216 Called ones have a special work of the word upon their Souls page 222 Cavil against the Godhead of Christ answered page 40 Censuring of any rashly especially to be Reprobates taxed and reproved page 60 Children of God their honourable estate page 35 use 2. Children of Godly Parents are not therefore Gods children page 56 Children of such how said to be holy page 56 57 admonition to such page 57 Children of the flesh and of promise page 62 63 Christ incarnate and and became true man and why page 36 37 Christ brought not his body from Heaven page 37 Christs incarnation comfortable to his page 38 Christ true God proved 39 use of it page 41 Christ both God and man in one person page 43 Christ to be thought and spoken of with reverence due to his name page 44 Christians described page 53 54. Christians their spiritual duty page 60 Comparing our selves with God is useful and beneficial page 167 168 Chosen ones of God differ not from others till God distinguish them page 59 Conscience why placed in the soul of man viz. to be witnesse and register page 8 9 Conscience not right till sanctified page 10 erroneous and unsanctified taxed page 11 Contentment one special ground of it page 99 a necessary Christian duty page 175 Continuance in sin dangerous page 189 Covenants what they are page 27 Churches enemies can do nothing but what God hath appointed page 143 Curiosity the danger of it page 170 D DAvids respect to Saul though wicked page 30 Daies their superstitious observation reproved page 123 Decrees of God concerning Election and reprobation most just page 116 Drawn to Christ how men are page 91 Different estates of men in the world ordered by Gods decree and appointment page 98. Dignity of Gods children discovered page 224 c. E ELection is the chusing of a certain number to salvation and not of all page 84 Election reprobation depend meerly upon the good pleasure of God and not of man page 85 Election daependeth not upon good works or upon faith foreseen page 93 Comfort to such as are assured of their Election page 87 91 Election of God is sure and unchangeable page 89 The doctrine of Election must be rightly applyed but not abused page 91 Election a sure and true note of it page 92 Election the Decree of it most effectual page 100 Election assurance of it possible to be atttained page 101 assurance of Election how attained page 101 102 Elected ones special Characters of them page 111 their condition whilst remaining in their natural estate page 220 Enemies of the Church can do nothing against it but by Gods permission and appointment page 144 and yet are justly blamed and punished and why ibid. Erroneous opinions justly to be abhorred page 118 proceed chiefly from carnal Reason page 158 Excellencies in others are duly to be acknowledged and reverenced page 29 Final estate of any not rashly to be judged page 101 Freewill the doctrine of it confuted page 131 132 G GLory and happinesse of the Saints in heaven is wholly of Gods free mercy page 202 assurance of interest in it how attained page 203 Glory of God ought to be dearer to us then our own salvation and why page 22 23 God the title of it never given to any one man in Scripture Magistrates how called gods page 40 God in every act of his hath a particular end page 143 God hath lawful power over man to dispose of him at his pleasure as the potter over the clay page 179 God no tyrant nor unrighteous ibid page 180 Gods Infinite power against sin and sinners will be one day manifested page 192 Reasons and uses of it shewed page 191 Gods power saving and destroying ibid. Gods revenging power irresistible page 192 Grief Christians ought to grieve for the misery of others especially of their souls page 11 12 Grief whether lawful for such as suffer justly by the Magistrates for evil doing page 34 H HAtred how God hated Esau shewed page 106 Hardnesse of heart a most grievous judgement page 141 God must not be provoked to inflict it ibid. Gods children shall not be given up to it page 142 Hardening of some a free act of God page 153 Hardening of some according to Gods will page 154 How God hardeneth the heart ibid. Whether Gods Hardening do justly excuse hardened sinners yea or no page 163 Hearers of the word their special duty page 129 130 Directions for profitable hearing of the Word of God page 115 Heart hard a grievous judgement see hardnesse Heart soft and melting a special mercy page 155 Heart so qualified how attained page 155 156 Hierusalem how and in what respect an holy City page 224 folly of Popish Pilgrimages thither ibid. Hope of salvation where to be placed page 132 Humility one special ground of it page 177 I IMpudency of some discovered page 170 Indifferency in matters of Religion not good page 118 Inferiors ought to be obedient to supeirours page 30 31 Israelites all are not that are so called page 52 Israelites indeed righly described page 26 47 Jewish people most honourable and why page 36 our duty towrds them ibid. Justice of God in case of Election c. vindicated page 179 Justice of God in destroying the wicked is to be magnified page 195 K KIndred in the flesh our duty towards them page 25 especially to seek and endeavour their salvation ibid. neglecters of their kindred reproved page 26 Kindred and race of Gods servants honourable page 34 L LOve if true begetteth grief for the party beloved page 15 Love to the people of God the tryal of it page