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
A92488	The fulnesse of Gods love manifested: or, A treatise discovering the love of God, in giving Christ for all, and in affording meanes of grace to all : wherein also the 9. chapter of the Romans, and other places of scripture (usually urged against the universality of Gods love to mankind) are cleared, and divers objections of the like nature answered. / By L.S.	L. S.	1643 (1643)	Wing S109; Thomason E1158_1; ESTC R208679	71,123	180

if so then there is a rationall ground for their faith in the Word of GOD or there is not if there bee then it is as well every mans ground as any mans and as possible for every man to believe as any man if there be not then they doe not believe for God himself cannot make a man believe without ground the things whereon they ground their peace and comfort and wherein they glory and rejoice as that God perswaded and overpowred their hearts to believe such a promise made this or that Scripture theirs spake to them in it gave them aboundance of comfort from it at such a time in such a place in such a manner after they had been so long in a despairing distracted condition in bondage under the Law are vaine For now though that Scripture or promise be made theirs as they conceive and they doe believe it as they say and comfort themselves in it that God loves them and that they shall certainly live yet can they give no ground or reason from their principles why that Scripture or Promise belongs to them much lesse that it should more belong to them then to others onely they say that God perswaded their hearts but if he perswaded them he perswaded their understandings and judgements by some evident and rationall demonstration or conclusion from the Scripture or promise so believed and if not then the things they speak of are but pleasing fancies and golden dreams Againe from this Doctrine of limiting the love of God to a few the love of the most religious men of our times is also limited to a few to love those that love them to do good to those that do good to them to salute their Brethren onely wheras Christ tells them plainly that there is nothing singular in it they doe no more then others then sinners then Publicans whereas if God indeed were the Patterne of their love their love would be universall like the love of God love is a debt due to all men and wee shall never be freed from that debt in this World Rom. 13.8 It appeares by the words of Christ Luk. 10.30 That every man we see in misery or in need of our helpe and relief is our Neighbour and wee must love our Neighbour as our selves in deed and in truth without dissimulation so that we ought to love all men the evill and unthankfull our enemies those that hate curse and persecute us and nothing can beget such a Spirit in us but the Spirit of this Doctrine of the free and universall love of God to us when we were enemies sinfull lost creatures evill and unthankfull As God by the discovery of his love and goodnesse to us did turn us from evill to good so should we endeavour to overcome the evill of men by good to prevaile with them by love for love is very powerfull whereas mens disposing and rejecting such as are not so good as they would have them or such as suit not with them in judgement and opinion makes them to be despised and hated yea many men despise Religion it self Seeing these things doe appeare in those which professe themselves to be most religious though indeed Religigion teacheth no such thing but the contrary as the Scriptures plainly manifest the substance of Religion is almost lost and there is little else then the shew or name of it remaining unlesse Religion bee a rigid A practice not suitable to the Gospel of grace and love but to policy and sensuality not comming from above but from beneath whether it tends and is therefore to be shund and abhord of all men blind and preposterous zeal in seeking dominion over the faith of our brethren and fellow-servants and by humane and positive lawes inhumanely Rev. 13.15 16 17. to compell their judgements and consciences to conformity to our dictates and determinations in matters of the worship of God We have much hearing much praying much talking amongst men but little love whereas all the means that God useth with us is to manifest his love to us that so we may love him and one another To do good and to shew mercy are services well pleasing to God better then all burnt Offrings and Sacrifices 1 Sam. 15.22 hearing praying and discoursing is no further beneficiall then it tends to edification in love yea it is abomination if love be wanting Pure Religion and undefiled before God and the father is this To visite the fatherlesse and the Widdowes in their affliction and to keepe our selves unspotted in the world and who so hath this worlds goods and seeth his brother hath need and shutteth up his bowells of compassion from him how dwelleth the love of God in him all his Religion is vaine and to no purpose If any Object that this doctrine of Gods rich and abundant grace to all tends to loosenesse I Answer as formerly that the grace of God which bringeth salvation to all men appearing teacheth us to deny all ungodlines and worldly lusts and to live righteously and godlily in this present world Tit. 2.11 12. But if any abuse this grace of God and turne that into wantonnesse which naturally leads to holinesse the Judgment of God is just against those that so doe now I desire you to consider what is here written in love and that the love of God may be shed abroad in our hearts that we may dwell in love walke in love and doe whatever wee doe in love shall bee the prayer and indeavour of him who while hee lives never ceaseth to remaine The Servant of all men in Love L. S. FJNJS

set before us Heb. 6.18 but if we affirm that notwithstanding all the promises and proffers of God to doe good unto men in his revealed will and word he may in his secret will intend the contrary what do we lesse then affirme that God may lye Againe the Author to the Hebrewes useth this Argument to perswade the Saints to persevere in well doing That God was not unrighteous to forget their work and labour of love that they shewed towards his name chap. 6.10 And againe he perswades them to bee content with such things as they had because God had said hee would not leave them nor forsake them chap. 13.5 but if they had thought that God might have a secret will which might not agree with what he reveales it would not have been sufficient satisfaction for Paul to tell them that God had said it unlesse he could make it also to appeare that he meant and intended what he spake we are also to be like our heavenly Father and especially in this that we love the evill the unjust our enemies those that hate curse persecute and despightfully use us Matth. 5.44 45 48. Luk. 6.35 36. but if Gods love in bestowing means and mercies on the wicked be to harden them to make them vessells of wrath on which he may shew his wrath and make his power known who amongst our selves would not be ashamed to shew mercie according to such a patterne to do men good that wee may have occasion to inflict evill it s like the mercy of those which when by torments they have almost deprived a man of life will give him some Cordiall to revive him that they may further torment him but God is righteous just gracious mercifull sincere faithfull and all his promises and his proffers are in truth And what Paul spake of the Gentiles Rom. 2.14 I may say of God who though he be without law he being Lord of all yet he is a Law to himself he wills and doth all things suteable to his nature to his Attributes and he may aswell cease to be as to will or doe other But against this Doctrine some do Object what is written Exod. 11.12 and 3.22 where God bids Moses to speake unto the Israelites to borrow every man of his Neighbour and every woman of her Neighbour Jewells of Silver and Jewells of Gold now say they it had been wickednesse in them to borrow with an intent never to repay if God had not commanded them but seeing he commanded them they did well for the will word or command of God is sufficient to prove any thing good and just though it appeare unjust to us and therefore wee must not dispute it further Ans First I grant that seeing God doth neither will nor command any thing but what is just his will word or command is sufficient to prove any thing to be just But secondly seeing God wils and commands nothing but what is just and hath given us reason and understanding to judg what is just and vvhat is unjust it concernes us to be very carefull as wee tender the honour and glory of God that wee believe no word to be spoken nor action done by God which vve our selves see to bee unjust for if wee professe to believe God to be love just mercifull sincere faithfull and yet believe that God made some men to destroy them without pre-consideration of any evill or wickednesse which they would commit that he commands men to performe this or that thing and then possitively hardens them that they may not doe it and yet punisheth them for not performing of it that God in his revealed will professeth to love men and to desire their good and salvation and yet in his secret will intends their destruction that he should teach his people to borrow promising to repay but intending to deceive and spoile it is all one as if wee should professe to believe that such a man were very honest just and good and yet withall to say that he would lye steale murther beare false Witnesse and the like which things are inconsistent in man as the former are in God and hee that doth indeed beleeve the one of God cannot possible believe the other Novv the word which we have translated borrow doth properly signifie Aske they shall aske every Woman of her Neighbour c. and so there is no difficultie in the Words for the Jewes were a long time oppressed by the Egyptians who had made them slaves and served themselves of them now vvhen the Egyptians vvere urgent and did hast to send them avvay as a recompence to them God bids them to ask Jewells of Silver Jewells of Gold and Rayment and so they should cloth their children with the spoile of their enemies and oppressors which was but equall and just But now I shall shew what I conceive to be the meaning of the 9. of the Romanes and for the better understanding of it I shall desire you to take notice with me of the drift and scope of Paul therein In the 1 2 3. verses Paul doth solemnely and seriously professe his heavinesse and sorrow of heart for his Brethren and Kinsmen according to the flesh who saith Paul are Israelites to whom pertaineth the adoption the glory the Covenants the giving of the Law the service of God and the promises whose are the Fathers and of whom as concerning the Flesh Christ came who is over all God blessed for ever Amen verse the 4 and 5. then in the beginning of verse 6. Paul prevents an objection which might be made to this effect If we who are Israelites to whom pertaineth the adoption the glory the Covenants the giving of the Law the service of God and the promises come short of righteousnes justification life and salvation then the Word of GOD the faith of GOD the promise of God takes not effect like unto that which is Written Chap. 3. 3. what if some did not believe shall their unbeliefe make the faith of God without effect Make the word and promise of God false God forbid saith Paul vers 4. yea let God be true but every man a lyar c. Now in this place Paul endeavours to Answer this Objection more at large from the latter part of the 6. Verse to the end of the Chapter so that the thing which Paul in this Chapter undertakes to prove is that though many yea the most of the Jewes should perish in their wickednesse and unbeliefe yet God would be just righteous and true in all his words and workes and that every jot and tittle of his word would take effect And first Paul tells them that they were mistaken in that they did conceive themselves the children of God because they were Children of the flesh of Abraham for saith he all are not Israel that are of Israel neither because they are the seed of Abraham are they all children but in Isaac shall thy seed bee called that is they which are