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
A91945	The poore's pension: a sermon preached in Gregories Church in Sudbury in the county of Suffolke, May 12. 1643. Upon occasion of the charitable reliefe that yearly then, and there is given, towards the covering or clothing of a hundred poore people, according to the will of the donour M Martine Cole, late of the towne aforesaid deceased. By Samuel Rogers, Master in Arts, and Minister of Much-Tey in Essex. Imprimatur Ja. Cranford, Aug. 12. 1644.	Rogers, Samuel.	1644 (1644)	Wing R1828; Thomason E10_2; ESTC R15358	44,419	46

receive then he begged a penny that saith he is too little for me a King to give * Turpissima est ejusmodi cavillatio invenit quo modo neutrum daret in denario regem in denarioregem in talento Cynicum respexit cum possit denarium tanquam Cynico dare talentum tanquam rex Ib. thus he found an excuse for both and so by that meanes gave him nothing at all such like shifts do men make and strain their wits to find out many more to keep back in their owne hands that that might benefit the poore well though men may be thus put off yet God will not be so dallied with Gal. 6.7 know and consider well that God requires of thee to give reliefe in extreme need to any look to it then as thou wilt answer the contrary at thy perill it lies upon thee as a duty how canst thou then be discharged Let us learne well that which we of our selves are not so willing as we should be to practise viz. without any evasion or protraction freely embrace every object and occasion for the doing of good away with these needlesse quaries where or who when or what how or why for wheresoever he be or whosoever he is that whensoever stands in need of whatsoever help we can afford we must howsoever see that he doth not miscarry through our default or neglect and why because it is our duty which all excuses set apart we must look to viz. not to suffer any to perish for want of clothing or any poore to be without covering we may not then in this thing so much respect any mans person as his * Sive ille sacerdos sive cognatus sit affinis nihil in illo aliud consideres nisi paupertatem sine discretione omnibus indigentibus simplicitèr tribuamus non quaerentes cui sed quare demus Hier. in Ep. condition for charity is to look directly into the case and collaterally into the cause not solely the worth but chiefly the want of the person is to be regarded But such are strangers to me I know not whence they come nor whither they go I never saw their faces before and I know not therfore what they be nor whether I should relieve them or no Object 1 Such an one speakes like Nahal 1 Sam. 25.10 11. who proved himself a fool ver 25. but hear what God saith Answ And if thy brother be waxen poore and fallen in decay with thee then thou shalt relieve him yea though he be a stranger or a sojourner that he may live with thee Levit. 25.35 Object 2 Such are unthankfull and never contented the more one does for them the more ingratefull they prove The Ingratitude of the poore indeed doth oft-times much coole the charity of the rich but let not that discourage thee Answ forasmuch as thou hast a better pay-master who will see that thou shalt not be the looser and * Ingratus est non mibi fecit injuriam sed sibi nec ideò pigriut dabo sed diligentius Sen. de ben lib. 7. cap. 32. this is their fault and not thine let not therefore their sin of ingratitude cause thee to sin in the not discharging of thy dutie● Cast thy bread upon the waters saith Solomon Eccles 11.1 for thou shalt find it after many dayes q.d. though that thou givest to the poore may seeme to be cost cast away especially if it fall into the hands of ingratefull persons so that thou think'st never to have any thing againe not so much as thanks no not one good word for all that thou dost yet spare not ever the more for it is as a venture at sea that shall certainly come home at last with a rich prize when as thou dost little expect it but had'st quite given it over as lost Object 3 Such are mine utter enemies that have done me all the mischiefe that possibly they could and I will serve them in the same kind shall I doe any thing for them no surely they shall lie and starve or rot first before they shall be a penny the better for me what mine chemies if they might want and perish I should not be sorry c. As thou art a Christian Answ let not such cursed speeches proceed out of thy mouth Jam. 3.9 10. know that thou must not be wanting in this duty no nor in any office of love no not toward thy enemies as they are thy enemies and have wronged thee I confesse they are otherwise to be considered as they are Gods enemies and have dishonoured him so maist thou indeed * Psal 139.21 22. hate them but it must be then as God doth viz. pitty them in respect of their persons though abhorre them in regard of their sins but considering them as enemies to us we may not faile nor fall short in duty towards them proved By precept Matth. 5.43 44. the Pharisees by their false glosse had corrupted Gods law as in many other things so in this their rule was this Thou shalt love thy neighbour and hate thine enemy this was pleasing enough to corrupt nature they understood by neighbour in the law to be meant only their friends and acquaintance But I say unto you saith our Saviour q.d. I must learne you another lesson viz. Love your enemies blesse them that cause you doe good to them that hate you and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you see here is love and offices of love required of us towards our very enemies both concerning their spirituall as also their outward good Rom. 12.14.20 Recompence to no man evill for evill but if thine enemy hunger * Per cibum potum omnia bumanitatis efficia intelligenda feed him if he thirst give him * Carbones ignis coacervabis in caput ejus i.e. animus frangetur in utrāque partem c. aut ex ardore chatitatis beneficili emollietur aut uretur testimonio conscientia Cal● drinke for ●●so doing * thou shalt he ape coales of fire on his head be not overcome with evill but overcome evill with good q.d. doe not as thou art dealt with but as thou wouldst be done by doe not with-hold thy hand from doing what thou canst for and not against thy enemies Poenas ejus in diem judicii cumulabis Orig. for thereby thou shalt so enflame them with thy love that it shall kindle in them burning charity towards thee or if they continue still in their malice they shal be set on fire with the coales of their own conscience and of the divine justice if therefore thou dost repay thy enemy evill for evill thou dost bring a greater evill upon thy selfe for that was the evill of punishment but thine is the evill of sin but if with thy well-doing thou dost over-match the evill that thy enemy hath done thee Is laude d●gnus qui malis provocatus restituit bona Id. how

great a victory dost thou obtaine it is a noble thing to overcome but more noble to overcome evill but most of all to overcome evill with good By example wonderfull was the infinite love of God towards us his enemies in that he received us into his favour Rom. 5.10 and bestowed on us his son ver 8. who is more then if he had given us all things beside what could he possibly have done more for us Herein is love indeed not that we loved God for we being his utter enemies hated him and were hated of him but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins Beloved if God so loved us we ought also to love one another for there is an infinite distance betwixt God and us and therefore is the enmity farre greater betweene God and us then is or possibly can be betweene one and another 1 Joh. 4.10 11. Another example of this kind we have 2 Kin. 6.21 22 23. the Syrians enemies to Gods people came in an hostile manner and with a malicious minde against the Prophet Elisha but were strangely not only disappointed of their purpose but also captivated themselves the King of Israel seeing his enemies to stand at his mercy would have shewed them no mercy but cals out to slay them the Prophet is of another minde and requires them not to be destroyed but to be relieved and then dismissed which being done their hearts were so melted herewith that they were thereby subdued and overcome for a long while after many more examples I might produce were it as needfull as easie even of heathen men and infidels voide of true saving grace whose excellency hath consisted in meere morality yet by the power of restraining grace * Emollit mores nes sinit esse seros which doth mollifie in great part mans cursed cruell nature have beene eminent and men of renown for their courtesie and bounty towards their greatest and most malicious enemies oh how inexcusable shall we be if such as these shall rise up in judgement and for this thing amongst other things condemne many of those that professe themselves Christians I confesse that to relieve our very enemies and that in case of necessity as if they were our very friends is a hard saying that is to those in whom is nothing better then corrupt nature and who can heare it but is there any to be found that practice it oh it is so harsh a thing that flesh and bloud cannot beare nor brooke it and no wonder for the Apostle saith Flesh and bloud cannot inherit the Kingdome of God 1 Cor. 15.50 a naturall man yea the best of men as touching the part unregenerate cannot possibly submit to this it must be pure grace that must yeeld hereunto for the carnall mind is enmity against God and is not subject to the law of God nor indeed can be Rom. 8.7 Object 4 Such are vile and wicked wretches that deserve not any thing pitty it is they should be suffered or have any thing at all given them and what should I relieve these Herein must wisdome be seene Answ we must so give even to the worst of men that they perish not for want of reliefe and yet withall make it to appeare that we doe not countenance nor will maintaine them in their sin we must support humane nature even in a wicked man * Arist otelet reprehen sus à quodam quòd eleem●synam dedisset improbo Non homini inquit dedi sed humanae for ti Laert. lib. 5. cap. 1. so the Philosopher excused himselfe saying he considered not the man but mankind Again we must not look altogether to the deserts of the party for consider if God should deale with us according to our deserts what could we expect at his hands I am not worthy saith that holy Patriarch of the least of all the mercies and all the truth which thou hast shewed unto thy servant Gen. 32.10 God indeed feeds us to the full with the finest of the wheat with honey out of the rock and with the pure bloud of the grape Deu. 3● 13 14. Psal 81.16 but we are such altogether undeserving creatures as unworthy we are of the very refuse or crummes that fall from us I have given already to many and cannot to every one it will not hold out Object 5 what must we ever be giving and never give over I have done well for such and such and there cannot be any more expected of me Give a portion to seven Answ and also to eight for thou knowest not what evill shall be upon the earth Eccles 11.2 * Quod aliquādo de necessitate amittendum est spontè pro divinâ remuneratione distribuendum est Cyp. ser de tleemos q. d. thou knowest not how God may deal with thee or what thou hast therefore whilst thou art and whilst thou hast be still doing good therewith and that not to a few but let many yea any have a part and share therein observing the cautions before given having respect both to thy abilitie and their necessitie See page 25 26. These are though not all yet most of the chiefe of those many excuses that men make to shift off their duty in this particular which we see neverthelesse will not hold them excused before God other objections of lesse note are not worth the answering What now remaines but that knowing these things Joh. 13.17 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we should accordingly doe them for the knowledge of duty without practice availes nothing be alwayes therefore doing good in this kind to one or other and for encouragement in this well-doing set before you the rich recompence of reward consider what the Apostle saith 2 Cor. 9.8 9 10. God is able to make all grace abound toward you that ye alwayes having sufficiencie in all things may abgund to every good work as it is written He hath dispersed abroad he hath given to the poore his righteousnesse remaineth for ever Now he that ministreth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food and multiply your seed sowen and increase the fruits of your righteousnesse Vse 2 From the generall let us descend to a particular If in case of inevitable necessity we are to afford reliefe to any what thinke you then brethren of the poore Protestants in Ireland Oh let us consider their distresse and let us take notice of our duty though our eyes have not seen yet our eares have heard and that at large time after time how ill it fares with them nay have not we our selves been eye-witnesses in great part of their miserie how many of them in all this time have come to our doores and presented themselves before us as visible objects of our pittie let us not turne away our faces close out eies stop our eares and harden our hearts against them Fronte capillatâ pòst est occasio calva As we have