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A77132 The description and confutation of mysticall Anti-Christ, the Familists; or, An information drawn up and published for the confirmation and comfort of the faithfull, against many Antichristian Familisticall doctrines which are frequently preached and printed in England: particularly in those dangerous books called Theologia Germanica, the Bright Star, Divinity and Philosophy dissected. / Written by Benjamin Bourne. Published according to order. Bourne, Benjamin, fl. 1646. 1646 (1646) Wing B3844; Thomason E349_21; STC 672; ESTC R201037 116,136 151

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crosse dealt by the Devill as God did by the Spanish Invasion in which all the purposes and plots of the enemie were drawne up to one head Simil. the execution thereof being set on foote all their hearts were linckt together in one as their ships were and all instruments being ready making full accompt to conquour and destroy all that was before them God for the preservation of his people raised up an instrument to defeate the enemie in the heighth of their villainy by which all their ships bonds purposes resolutions councells and determinations were all loosed destroyed spoyled and captivated and the Kingdome saved and delivered in a miraculous manner from such a sudden ruine and cruell overthrow wee know that they were all destroyed though not all slaine The plot of the Devill from the beginning and all his purposes and resolutions concerning the totall overthrow of Sion was drawne up to one head the Devill and all the instruments of Hell and this world had made all things ready for execution indevouring to bring a suddaine ruine and perpetuall overthrow to the kingdome of Jesus Christ Christ by his comming when the Devill was in the prime of his strength when he had gotten almost to the top of all his desires I say that Jesus Christ by suffering for sinners by satisfying Gods Justice by reconciling God and man together spoyled loosed captivated and destroyed the Devill and all his assistance in all their purposes councels and preparations that he had made and delivered all the Saints from bondage darkenesse death and thraldome which they were in under the Law and brought life and immortality to light thorow the Gospell The similitude is full and cleare the difference is that Gods worke by Christ in the redemption and salvation of the world was more excellent and exceeding glorious then this outward deliverance by man from an outward calamitie I do not bring this only to compaire the worke of God in our outward deliverance to his worke in our spirituall but I bring it to prove that Christ by his comming hath destroyed the workes of the Devill as God destroyed the divices of these enemies in that exploite which they had in hand that as God defeated them by causing their owne purposes to be their own confusion so God by Christ spoyled and destroyed not the Devill in his substance but in all his workes purposes and determinations by the power of his Death and Resurrection I shall further Discover the Devill to you by these following considerations First the Devill is an enemy to the name of God I shall prove it by these arguments first whatsoever is not Spiritually subject and obedient unto the command of God is an enemie to his name for a persons obedience to Gods Commandements is that by which the name of God is glorified and exalted but the Devill is not spiritually subject and obedient to the Commandements of God therefore he must needs be an enemie to his name Secondly that spirit that would exalt himselfe so as that by his inventions he would be equall with God that spirit in so doing is an enemie to his name but the Devills desire was and still is to exalt himselfe so as that by his inventions he would be equall with God therefore the Devill is an enemie to the name of God Thirdly that spirit that doth indevour to destroy all the decrees and workes of God concerning the Redemption and Salvation of man which are for the glory of his name that spirit is an enemie to his name but the Devill hath and still doth indevour to Annihilate and make voide all the Decrees and Workes of God concerning the Redemption and Salvation of the world therefore the Devill is an enemy to the name of God Last of all that spirit whose nature is contrary to the nature of God that person must needs be an enemie to the name of God but the nature of the devill is in an unexpressable measure contrary to the nature of God therefore the Devill cannot be any other then an enemie to God the Scriptures to prove these arguments are these Revel 12.7.8.9 Gen. 3.1.2.3.4.5.14 Matt. 4.3.6.8.9 Revel 12.3.4 Matt. 2.16.20 Ephe. 6.12 Job 4.18 1 Pet. 2.4 Ioh 8.48 Secondly the Devill is an enemie to the nature of God I prove it thus first that that is not or hath not the nature of God in it in one respect or other he must needs be contrary to it for that which is not light or which light is not in that must needs be darkenesse and so consequently contrary to it But the devill is not the light nor is not in this respect in the light therefore he must needs be an enemy to it Secondly That which any person seeks continually to destroy and devoure that he cannot at that time countenance and bee a friend too but the continuall practice of the devill is how and by what meanes he may devoure and destroy the nature of God in a Christian therefore he is an enemy to it the joy of the devill if he have any is that he by his might and power being premitted can deface the Image of God and hinder the workings of the divine nature in the person of a Christian The desire of the devill is that he might never to all Eternity be made partakers of the divine nature nor ever be united or reconciled to God this is a Maxime in Divinity that a true and reall desire of Grace is Grace the Devill cannot have a spirituall desire to be united to God but that desire must in the rise of it be produced by his union with God your Familisticall Infants I mean those of the vaile doe say that all things without exception are reconciled from this Scripture and the like 2 Cor. 6.18 19. Col. 1.20 Now if all things be then the devill is if this be true then this absurdity must needs follow if the devill be reconciled then Christ dyed to reconcile that which by his crosse was totally captivated and destroyed Heb. 2.14 Col. 2.15 Secondly If this bee true then the Apostle doth say that in one place which hee denies in another compare Col. 1.26 with Col. 2.15 Now if they say that the Scriptures are false and that there is no devill they speak that that their fathers in a better subtiller way have spoken before them therefore they may save themselves a labour CHAP. XIII A Description of the Spirit of man ALthough this be a difficult point to show what the spirit of man is and a thing that I intend not to meddle with in that way that many do yet give me leave to describe unto you what the spirit of man is it is described in the Word of God therefore I make bold to give a definition of it God hath carryed my spirit through algreater and harder work then this is There be these opinions of the spirit of man one is that it is mortall and shall dye and perish
Whatsoever the devill is that is his essence but the power of the devill in one or many respects in one person or in a thousand is not whatsoever the devill is therefore one appearance of the devill is not the essence of him and then go to another no he can and is by his power in all hearts at once where Jesus Christ in the spirit is not yet we must conceive that every person hath an evill or a good Angell waiting upon him yet there is no Angell in darknesse but doth that work which hee is the chiefe and principall agent in I doe not say that the person of the devill is at once in all hearts that is so great that one nor all hearts in his kingdome cannot comprehend but the devill is every where by his power by his temptations by his servants and evill instruments which doe obey his will now the power of the devill in one or in many respects is not the person of the devill that is t is not his essence or beeing but an appearance of his beeing and thus much for the first Reason The second is this all sin flowes from the devill therefore wheresoever that is there hee is a corrupted fountain doth send forth corrupted streames now wheresoever the stream is there the Fountain is the Fountain is there in part and in appearance but not in essence now were it not for this the stream would cease to bee or if the Fountain in some respects were not there it could not bee wheresoever the fire is there heart is for that is its nature and property and wheresoever the heat is there the fire is take away the fire and the heat ceases to bee now the fire is not where the heat is in its being but in part and in appearance wheresoever the devill is there sin must needs bee unlesse hee could cease from action so wheresoever any evill is there the devill is in one respect or other take away the devill and sin ceases to bee if the devill could leave tempting deluding and blinding the eyes and hearts of men men would then leave sinning Mr. Perkins saith that wheresoever Ignorance reignes there reignes sin and wheresoever sin reignes there the devill rules now it is impossible for the devill to rule where he is not it is unpossible but that sin should bee where the devill is 10. The devill is not onely the fountain of all corruption in all hearts but is in his self a particular power and spirituall wickednesse that is though hee is so great in being yet hee is a particular being and though his nature doth comprehend such an Ocean of filthinesse yet is all this filthinesse the devils own and not anothers this great power I doe not say the corruption thereof is God in its originall for when God first created this being it had not this name the name devill nor the nature neither the devill was a good Angell and was glorious and happy for the time that hee continued in that estate wherein he was first created but hee together with his Angels kept not their first standing 2 Pet. 2. and so were cast down into hell to be kept unto damnation Jude 6. This power is God in two respect first consider it in its first originall secondly it is God in his appearance For hee hath therefore created him that by him he might manifest his power and discover the greatnesse of his own Majesty unto all creatures There be some affirm that wheresoever Gods power is there also his essence is for his power is his essence Againe others say that the devill is the aire from this Scripture Ephes 22 and the breath that is in mans body hee proves the latter by the former if the devill bee the aire saith he man doth breathe in and breathe out the aire and in this respect hee doth breathe in and breathe out the devill these juggling counterfeits by these expressions doe deny the comming of Christ in the flesh I shall ground this upon this Scripture 1 Joh. 3.8 for this purpose was made manifest that of God that hee might lose the works of the devill the proposition is this The end of God manifest in the flesh was to loose the works of the devill I shall bring one Scripture to shew what is here meant by loosing the works of the devill Heb. 2.14 that that is here called loosing the works of the devill is there called the destruction of the devill it is not as the Familists would have it when they speak of self-denyall that God must bee all and the creature nothing that the created forme nature or substance of the devill was destroyed in respect of being or subsisting for they hold that all created things must perish and come to nothing that God may be all now if the devill bee thus destroyed then is not Christ come in the flesh and if Christ bee not come in the flesh then his death is made void for hee cannot suffer that never had a beeing and the Resurrection Ascention Intercession and comming of Christ to judgement must needs be nothing but a meere phantasie and imagination and if this be so then nothing shall remain but the God-head and if nothing shall continue but God then there is but one spirit in the world and if there bee but one spirit in the world then all things must needs be the act of God and if all things bee the act of God then the highest perfection that ever man shall injoy hee shall injoy in this life My Argument to prove that he that denies this that the devill hath a beeing denies the comming of Christ in the flesh is this whosoever denies the work that Jesus Christ came to doe denies Christ himself but to say that Christ came to destroy the beeing and substance of the devill a work which hee came not to doe is to deny the comming of Christ in the flesh I shall give one instance to prove this hee that denies that to bee God which in truth is God he denies the beeing of God himself but he that holds that there is but one spirit or life in all creatures which is the true God besides which there is no other hee affirmes God to be that which in truth he is not Therefore he denies the beeing of God himself so he that affirmes that to be the work of Christ which in truth is not he denies the comming and beeing of Christ himselfe but he that saith that the end of Christ by his comming was to destroy the very beeing of the devill he affirmes that Christ came to do that work which he hath not done nor never will doe therefore thus to speak is to deny the comming of Christ Objection What is meant by these words Destroy him that had the power of death that is the devill Answer To destroy him is not meant to destroy the devill in his beeing but the devill in his enterprizes Christ by his