Selected quad for the lemma: enemy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
enemy_n	evil_a	good_a	overcome_v	2,148	5	9.0851	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A04859	The straight gate to heauen A sermon preached before the poore distressed prisoners in the Kings Bench common gaole, to their heauenly comfort. By William King preacher of the word of God.; Straight gate to heaven.	King, William, preacher of the word of God.	1617 (1617)	STC 14997.7; ESTC S106997	20,884	50

that may be both within vs and without vs we haue as they say the Sun Moone seauen starres against vs we haue all the Diuells in hell against vs with all their hornes heads maruelous strength infinite wiles cunning deuises déepe flights and methodicall temptations Heere raues a sore streame against vs then haue we this present euill world against vs with his innumerable baites snares nets ginnes grins c. to catch vs fetter vs and intangle vs. Here haue we both profits and pleasures riches and honor wealth and preferment ambition couetousnes Here comes a campe royall of spirituall and inuisible enemies Lastly wee haue our flesh that is our corrupted nature against vs we haue our selues against our selues For we our selues are as great enemies to our saluation as either the world or the Diuell For our vnderstanding reason will and affections are altogether against vs. Our natural wisedome is an enemy vnto vs our concupiscences lusts doe minister strength to Sathans temptations they are all in league with Sathan against vs They take part with him in euery thing against vs and our saluation they fight all vnder his standerd and receiue their pay of him This then goeth hard on our side that the Diuell hath an inward party against vs and wee carry alwayes within vs our greatest enemy which is euer ready night and day to betray vs into the hands of Sathan yea to vnboult the doore to let him in to cut our throats Here then wee sée an huge army of dreadfull enemies and a very legion of Diuels lying in ambush against our soules are not we therefore poore wretches in a most pittifull case which are thus bessedged and betrayed on euery side All thinges then duly considered may not wee iustly maruaile that any shall be saued For who séeth not who knoweth not that thousand thousands are carried headlong to destruction without the great mercy of God either with the temptations of the world the flesh or the Diuell But yet further I wil shew you by other apparant and euident reasons that the number of Gods Elect vpon the face of the earth are very few in comparison which may thus be considered First let there bee taken away from amongst vs the Papists Atheists and Heretiques Secondly let there be shouelled out all vitious and notorious euill liuers as swearers drunkards whoremongers carnall worldlings deceiuers cosoners proud men riotors gamesters and the prophane multitude Thirdly let there be refused and sorted out all hippocrites carnall Protestants vaine professors backe-sliders decliners and cold Christians Let all these I say be seperated and then tell me how many sound sincere faithfull and zealous worshippers of God will bee found amongst vs I suppose we should not néede the Art of Arithmeticke to number them for I think there would be very few in euery village towne Citty I doubt they would walke very thinly in the street so as a man might easily tell them as they go Our Lord Iesus asketh a question in the Gospell of S. Luke saying Doe you thinke when the sonne of man commeth that he shall find faith on the earth to the which wee may answer surely very little To make it more clearely manifest that few shall bee saued in the first age of the world all flesh had so corrupted their waies that God could no longer beare them but euen vowed their distruction by ouerflowing of waters when the flood came how few were found faithfull eight persons were only saued by the Arke How few righteous found in Sodome the Citties adioyning but one poore Lot and his family How few beleeuers were found in Iericho but one Rahab How few of the old Israelites entred into the Land of promise but two Caleb and Iosuah the rest could not enter in because of vnbeliefe The true and inuisible Church was small during the gouernment of the Iudges as apeareth plentifully in that booke In Elias time the Church was so small that it did appeare weak In the raign of the Kings of Israell and Iudah the sincere worshippers were very few as appeareth by the complaint of all the Prophets During the captiuity the Church was as the moone vnder a cloud she was driuen into a wildernesse where she did hide herselfe During the persecution of the Gréeke Empire by Gog and Magog and Egypt they were fewest of all In Christs time with what silly company did hee begin withall How were all things corrupted by the Priests Scribes and Pharises preaching there were few beléeuers After the first six hundreth yeares what an ecclipse was in the Church during the height of Antichrists raigne How few true worshippers of God were in the world for the space of almost nine hundreth yeares Since the Gospell was preached and spred abroad how few doe beleeue And as the Prophet Esay saith Domine quis credidit auditui nostro Lord who hath belieued our report Thus then you sée it doth appeare both by Scripture reason and examples of all ages that the number of the elect is very smale and when when all comes to all few shal be saued Therefore let vs striue earnestly to goe in at the straight gate for the small number of those that shal be saued ought to thrust vs forward to enter in thereat Christ saith Contendite intrare per angustam portam quia multi dico vobis studebunt intrare et non poterunt Striue to enter in at the narrow gate for many I say vnto you will séeke to enter in and shall not be able And in an other place hee saith The gate is straight and the way narrow that leadeth vnto life and few there be that finde it If men would consider of this and try with themselues whether they be of that small number or no it would make them looke better about them c. Death threatneth vs who is very terrible to the flesh and the remembrance of it very bitter to a man that is sowced soaked and setled in the pleasures of this world It flattereth no man it regardeth not persons it waigheth not friendship it careth not for rewards it is very grim vgly and cruell and killeth downe right where it hitteth Therefore Christ bids vs striue earnestly To knit vp this point S. Bernard saith there is none of vs all which standeth not in néed of councell propes and helpe The generall misery of mankind is triple c. For both we are easie to be seduced and vnable to doe well and very weake to resist If we would discerne between good and euill we are deceiued if we goe about to doe good wee quickly faint if we endeauour to resist euill wee cannot endure but are easily ouercome The tiranny and rage of Sathan is vnspeakeable and his power mighty the baytes of the world be innumerable and our flesh fraile and weak They are thrée deadly enemies to our saluation against whom we must al ioyntly fight Our

aduersary the Diuell is a roaring Lyon rangeth about séeking whom he may deuour and inuenteth a thousand waies to entrap vs bring vs to euerlasting shame and destruction For S. Paul saith wee wrestle not against flesh and blood but against rule against powers against worldly gouernours of the darkenesse of this world against spirituall wickednesse in all spirituall places Our second enemy is the world the whole world is altogether set on wickednesse there is nothing in the world but the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life The third our flesh our flesh which rebelleth and lusteth contrary to the spirit fleshly lusts fight against the soule Here you sée what enemies they bee to our saluation How then shall wee striue to enter in at the strait gate and narrow way leading to euerlasting life First resist the Diuell and hee will fly from you Resist him in faith in Prayer and in the word Secondly be crucified to the world euen as strangers which are not of the World For we haue no abiding Citty héere but we séeke one to come saith the Apostle Lastly chastice thy body with watchings with labour with fastings it is a great victory to ouer come the Diuell a greater to ouer-come the world and the greatest of all to ouercome thy flesh fleshly vnruly affections To him that ouercommeth shall begiuen a crowne But he that is ouercome shall be the continuall bondman of Sathan our vild and cruell enemy Let vs so striue that we may ouercome hee onely that striueth lawfully shall be crowned Let euery man therefore keepe his stand or station in all obedience and readinesse Stoutly must we fight vnder Christs victorious Banner They are not trifles for which wee striue therefore let vs not shrinke nor cowardly runne away but with an inuincible courage in an assured hope of victory abide all warlike miseries sustayned with the comfort of that reward which no man shall receiue except hee striue lawfully No man that putteth his hand to the plow and looketh backwards is worthy of the kingdome of heauen but he that endureth to the end shall be saued Now wée striue for Christ and not for Antichrist for the truth and not against it I can doe nothing against the truth but for the truth saith Saint Paul for the Gospell and not for the doctrine of men for true religion not for superstition must we striue But our striuing for the most part is all awry and wicked we striue who may be the proudest pretending equality we striue indéed for superiority neither equall nor superior can we abide we striue how to supplant and ouerthrow one another enuy hath made men impudent striuing to vndermine and cast downe the walles of innocency striuing how to place and displace how to disgrace and how to bring into fauour how to set vp and how to throw downe And in so doing wée striue against our selues and for the aduantage of our deadly foes This warre is not Christian this is not to striue lawfully this is not to fight a good fight this Uictory shall not bee crowned Behold in a word I speake vnto you all how many are there amongst you a shame to speake it that séeke to striue against your selues and follow the example of the multitude namely in swearing blasphemy cursed speaking rayling backbiting slandering chiding quarrelling contention iesting mocking flattering lying dissembling c. These things doe ouerflow in all places so as men which feare God had better bee any where then in company with such men Lactantius Firmianus speaking of the end of the world saith Si erunt boni praede ac ludibrio habebuntur If there remaine any good men at that time they shall be cou●ted a pray a booty a mocking stocke Canst thou not flatter Canst thou not lye Canst thou not play the Hyppocrite Canst thou not follow the fashion and serue the stage No then thou art no méete man to liue in this world choose a few companions But I say vnto you as Nestor did vnto his children pray for vnlesse God helpe vs wee all perish Now I beséech you bretheren and fellow Prisoners euen for ●esus Christs sake doe not as the multitude doth which we see daily before our eyes to wallow in wickednes but keepe your selues from the broad way and wide gate leading vnto euerlasting damnation Striue earnestly The Almighty God of his ineffable goodnes when hee saw the weaknesse of our flesh by nature prone to euill and therefore vnable to withstand the Diuell who is called a Dragon with seauen heads for his subtilty ten hornes for his cruelty euen then most louingly shewed an excellent remedy wherby we migh preserue our selues from iniury and that is prayer It behoueth vs to take it for our weapon that we may kéep our selues from the inuasion of Sathan For as the Lyon at the sight of a Cocke is discomforted and at his crowing betaketh himselfe to his heels So doth Sathan both stand in feare of a godly man and flye at his prayer And Lactantius noteth Diuells do hurt but the faint hearted such as the great and mighty hand of God doth not protect which are prophane from the sacrament of truth but the 〈◊〉 that is the true worshippers of God doe the Diuells feare Let vs valiantly take this weapon in hand and manfully fight with Sathan and sin let vs try our combate in the field of the holy Scriptures let vs begin to trauerse the way of Gods commandements and breake into these wordes The afflictions of this present time are not worthy of the glory that shall be shewed vnto vs. Let vs striue to enter in at the straight Gate and narrow way leading vnto eternall saluation to wit charity which is the root and mother of all good works ioy in seruing of God peace or tranquility of mind in the stormes of this world patience in aduersity longanimity in expecting our reward bonity in hurting no man benignity in swéet behauiour gentlenes in occasion giuen of anger faithfulnes in performance of our promises modesty without arrogancy continence from all kinde of wickednes chastity in conseruing a pure minde in a cleane and vnspotted body Against these saith Saint Paul there is no law contrarily let vs shun and auoid the broad way and wide gate leading vnto euerlasting destruction namely fornication vncleannes wantonnes letchery idolatry poysonings enmities contentions emulations wrath strife dissention sects enuy murder drunkennes gluttony such like of which I foretell you as I haue told you before that those men which do such things shal neuer obtain the kingdome of heauen Héere then you sée how hard a thing it is to striue to enter into the kingdome of heauen and how few shall enter therfore some because it is difficult to striue striue not at all But Chist bids vs striue earnestly promiseth euerlasting peace