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
A31454	A preparation for martyrdom a discourse about the cause, the temper, the assistances and rewards of a martyr of Jesus Christ : in a dialogue betwixt a minister, and a gentlemanhis [sic] parishioner.	Cawdrey, Zachary, 1616-1684.	1681 (1681)	Wing C1648; ESTC R8822	35,036	47

and Holy and Learned Bishop Ridly is ingaged hotly to dispute the matter against Hooper and Hooper is imprisoned as a wilful and obstinate Person who would not receive Information But when Ridly and Hooper were both imprisoned for Religion in Queen Mary's days with what lowliness of Spirit did Holy Ridly confess his too zealous efforts in that Controversy The Letter is extant in Mr. Fox's Acts and Monuments My dear Brother saith he I understand we throughly agree and wholly consent together in the substantial points of our Religion against which the World now so furiously rageth however in time past in certain circumstances of Religion your wisdom and my simplicity have a little jarred Now be assured that even with my whole heart God is my witness in the bowels of Christ I love you in the Truth c. O what a beauteous lustre and loveliness hath this profound humility and fervent Brotherly love above all the sharpness of wit and closeness of arguing that any can shew in these Petit Controversies If therefore you have harmed your Brother who holds the Foundation with your self for such mean superstructures kiss the wounds you have made own your Repentance to your injured Brother and to the Church of God as ever you expect support in the day of your sufferings Ninthly Therefore it is necessary that the Martyr be rooted and grounded in love and charity which implies love to God and to his Church and to the Martyrs very Enemies Observe that I do not make love and charity any part of the Spiritual Armor for it is indeed the very life and spirit of the new Man So that as the best Armor in the World put upon a Coward would not inable him to attempt a Combat or overcome therein so if it was possible that a man should be assured of the Truth and Goodness of his cause and thereby had his loins girt with Truth and was expert and nimble at the weilding the Sword of the Spirit the word of God yet if he had not love and charity to fill all the Nerves of the inward man and to give Spiritual strength and vigor he could never make a Martyr Therefore 1 Cor 13. it is made so necessary that giving our body to be burned without it is reckoned nothing First Therefore the Martyr must love God with all his Soul for this love only is stronger than Death and neither Persecution nor distress nor Sword can overcome it This I have spoken of before and unquestionably if Gods Spirit who alone knows Mens hearts should write the Universal History of all the Martyrs from the Righteous Abel to this present there would not one be mentioned as such but would have this Testimony that the Love of God and concernment for his glory was the ruling affection in his Soul The second branch of Charity is love to Gods Church or an affectionate concernment for the establishment of our Brethren in the Faith Thus Phil. 1. 14. St. Paul rejoyced that his bonds and imprisonment at Rome gave confidence to the Saints there so that they were much more bold to speak the word without fear On the same account he saith Col. 1. 24. I rejoyce in my sufferings for the Brethren and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his bodies sake which is the Church the Husteramata that which is behind signifies the empty spaces of a Seal which the wax filling up receiveth the impression so that the Praise of filling up what is behind of the afflictions of Christ is far from signifying any merits of the sufferings of the Martyrs added to the merits of Christs sufferings for his Church and imports no more then Paul's being conformed to the sufferings of Christ as a Copy is conformed to the Original or the impress of the Wax to the carving of the Seal A Martyr therefore goes forth as David against Goliah to strengthen the hands of the Armies of Israel the Armies of the living God And though a Christian be Murdered secretly in a Prison or a Dungeon as undoubtedly many are in the Covents of the Italian and Spanish Monks and other-where yet they designed the strengthening of others If God had permitted the Example of their Courage and Faith and Patience to have been shewed openly their death is Precious and their purpose acceptable in the sight of God The third branch of the Martyrs Charity extends to all men even their Persecutors whose Conversion they pray for and that their blood may be the seed of Gods Truth and therefore he is not a Disciple and Martyr of Christ who hinders the Conversion of his Adversaries by his Rayling and Reviling and rendring evil for evil so that to suffer in the best cause in the World and not to be Baptized into the Spirit of meekness and kindness so as to pray for Enemies and bless them that curse us and strive to overcome their evil with good is not to suffer as a Disciple and Martyr of Christ who reviled not again and was dumb as a Sheep before the Shearers save when he prayed for his Crucifiers Father forgive them and so also did Saint Steven saying Lord lay not this Sin to their Charge By this patience and meekness of the Saints Christianity prevailed to the ejection of Heathen Idolatry out of the Roman Empire and Popish Superstitions and Errors out of England and other reformed Churches 10. The next qualification of a Martyr is he must be one very conversant in the Scriptures nimble at weilding the Sword of the Spirit which is the word of God Ephes 6. 17. For thence is he to fetch his directions even from the Patterns and Precepts there and his supports from the Promises there recorded and thence must he be furnished with Arguments to put to silence his Adversaries Our Saviour himself by this foiled the Tempter thrice so that a stranger to the Scriptures to the reading and meditating of them is very unfit for a Martyr both because he knows not whence to fetch directions or supports for himself nor how to confute and silence gainsayers But he that is mighty in the Scriptures as 't is reported of Apollos Acts 18. verse 24. 28. will both mightily confute and confound his Adversaries and will through Patience and Comfort of the Scriptures be strengthened in hope Rom. 15. 4. 11. Next The Martyr must put on the Helmet of Salvation Ephes 6. 17. or as Saint Paul Phraseth it 1 Thes 5. for an Helmet the hope of Salvation that is he must be begotten by the Gospel to a lively hope of an Inheritance incorruptible undefiled that fadeth not away reserved in the Heavens For us 1 Pet. 1. 4. He that hath not his Treasure out of his Enemies reach will be afraid to provoke him and besides no enjoyment on Earth can compensate or equal the sufferings that the persecuted Saints may be subjected to they may endure cruel Mockings Scourgings Imprisonments in

and as the Beams of the Sun will put out a Fire so the frevent love of God in them morally extinguished the painful burnings of the Furnace and bound the Flames to the Peace even before Gods Power did the same miraculously Thus the Apostles went away rejoycing that they were counted worthy to suffer for the name of Christ their love then burst out into transports of joy and thankfulness that God would vouchsafe to use them to bring Glory to his Name The Apostle saith If there be any consolation in love Phil. 2. Intimating that there is no consolation without it and by how much more excellent the person loved is for whom we suffer so much larger breasts of consolations hath our love so that if to suffer for the love of a desired Spouse as when Jacob served an hard Service for Raehel carry a joy and delight to the Party loving or if to die for a Friend a good Man or a good Prince whom we love be so satisfactory to the sufferer as men declare that it is how much more to suffer for God and Christ It as far excelleth all other sufferings on the motives of the sensual Love yea or Friendship or Loyalty as the benevolent warmth of the Sun beams in the Spring is more invigorating and comforting to Plants and living Creatures than the chokey heat of a Stove or Furnance nay it is indeed a glory the Saints have above the Angels that they are called to suffer for God which the others impassibility denyes them to do So that the love of God in suffering Saints gives that exceeding comfort and satisfaction that is at no other time felt because there never was that full exercise of it before it is that breaking the box of Spicknard that finelleth more sweet by its diffusion The third Grace is Love to the Church which yields exceeding satisfaction when it carries us to act for the good of our Brethren that we can willingly spend be spent for them but the ●ower and top of it is to fill up in our bodies what is behind of the sufferings of Christ for his Churches sake When a suffering Christian thinks thus these sufferings of mine may be a strengthning of the Faith of all the Christians that hear of them and see them nay it may be an establishment to some Christian an hundred years hence what a sweet and comforting reflection must it needs be What delight may we imagine have some Gallant Heathens taken to die devotedly for their Country as did Coarus the Athenian and Deoius and Curtius the Romans but how much sweeter is it to the Martyr to think that by his sufferings the Church of Christ the Houshold of Faith those who shall hereafter be fellow Citizens with the Angels shall be confirmed and strengthened The fourth Grace is love to Enemies and Persecutors at any time to forgive an Enemy is both more glorious and more comfortable than to overcome him David had more honour when he dismissed Saul alive than when he brought away the Head of Goliah in his hand and undoubtedly he had more inward comfort and satisfaction also for the Victory of Goliah was justly attributed to the Providence of God directing the stone to the mark but the dismissing and Pardoning his Enemy was the Fruit of the Grace of God in his Heart● but to suffer with the designing the good of our Enemies even of their Conversion and Eternal welfare is much more sweet and affecting If St. Steven had as in all likelihood he had an hope that his sufferings might Convert some of his Persecutors what joy did that thought bring into his holy Soul if there be joy in Heaven amongst the Angels for the Conversion of a sinner when yet they contribute nothing to it what joys must be to Martyrs that die in hope and desires for the Conversion of Christs Enemies and theirs For a Martyr tyed to the Stake to think with himself Some of the ring of this gazing Multitude that look on me nay some of the Officers that is humanely butcher me may come to have their hearts melted by my flames and of Lions become Lambs and followers of the Lord Jesus what a sweet and comfortable thought must that be to the suffering Saint and Martyr of Jesus A fifth Grace that then yields its Fragrancy is our Faith it the promises of sufficient Grace and Support this is our Victory whereby we overcome the world even our Faith and who is it that overcometh the world but he that believer that Jesus is the Christ of whose fulness we are to receive Grace and Grace for Grace We have now the comfort of Faith in the assurance from Gods Word that he will never fail us nor forsake us but in a time of suffering Faith girls up its Loins and makes his boast in the name of the Lord crying The Lord is our Refuge and Strength a very present help in trouble therefore will not we fear though the Earth be removed and so Psal 21. 1. The Lord is my strength and my Salvation whom shall I fear the Lord is the strength of my life of whom then shall I be afraid And also Psal 144. 12. He expresseth his confidence in abundance of words The Lord is my strength my goodness my fortress my high Tower and deliverer my shield and he in whom I trust Thus Paul 1 Tim. 1 12. I know whom I have believed and am perswaded that he is able to keep that committed to him against that day This Faith in Gods assistance triumphs in the name of the Lord and despiseth all the power of the Adversary The next Grace yielding its sweetness to a suffering Saint is his hope and heavenly mindedness it must needs be a pleasant prospect to go up to the top of Pisgah and view the Promised Land by Holy Meditation to think as far as our dark Glass will give us leave to see what is the Peace and Joy and what is the Purity and Holiness of the Glorified Saints but when we come to suffer for the Hope of Israel then our Hope grows more lively more strong and vigorous and fixed upon that Glory that shall be revealed Thus St. Steven Act. 7. when his enemies verse 45. gnashed upon him with their teeth being full of the Holy Ghost looked up stedfastly into Heaven and saw the Glory of God and Jesus standing on the Right Hand of God thus our hope by how much the nearer it comes to injoyment grows the stronger and makes the dying Christian say as it were to himself Egredere anima mea egredere quid times Go forth my Soul go forth reach forward to lay hold on that Crown of Righteousness which now thou art not far from think with thy self what it is to have all Tears wiped away all Graces perfected and to be filled with the Love and Communion of God and Christ at whose Right Hand is fulness of Joy and Pleasures for evermore Thus