Selected quad for the lemma: enemy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
enemy_n	field_n	good_a	tare_n	1,044	5	12.5068	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A16078	A harmonie vpon the the three Euangelists, Matthew, Mark and Luke with the commentarie of M. Iohn Caluine: faithfully translated out of Latine into English, by E.P. Whereunto is also added a commentarie vpon the Euangelist S. Iohn, by the same authour.; Harmonia ex tribus Evangelistis composita	Calvin, Jean, 1509-1564.; Calvin, Jean, 1509-1564. In Evangelium secundum Johannem. aut; Pagit, Eusebius, 1547?-1617.; Fetherston, Christopher.	1584 (1584)	STC 2962; ESTC S102561	1,583,711	1,539

seeme not to beare any rule at the first But after the corne groweth and promiseth to yeelde fruite then growe they vppe aloft Therefore all menne must diligently applie themselues to roote vppe the thornes out of their hearts least the worde of God be choaked for there is no man which is not filled wyth great aboundance of thornes as with a thicke woode And certainly we see very fewe come to ripenesse because scarce the tenth man applieth himselfe to roote them vppe no nor to loppe or cutte them And the great aboundance whiche shoulde mooue menne to be more diligent causeth many to be more carelesse Christe vseth the phrase of deceitfulnesse of richesse for couetousnesse And he purposely calleth richesse beguilfull or deceitfull that men might thereby learne the rather to take heede and to beware of their snares But let vs remember that as many affectiōs as there be of our flesh the abundance varietie whereof is innumerable so many lettes and hinderances there are to corrupt the seede of life 23. Hee that receiueth the seede in the good grounde Christe compareth them onely to good and frutefull grounde in whome the woorde of God not onely taketh rootes and those deepe and sound but which doe also ouercome all lettes least they should hinder the frute of the same If any man obiecte that there cannot any be found voide and free from thornes the answeare is easie Christe speaketh not heere of perfection of faith but onely sheweth in whome the worde doth fructifie Therefore though the frute be but small yet who soeuer degenerateth not frō the sincere worship of God is counted good and frutefull grounde It behooueth vs to be diligent in rooting vppe of thornes but because that we shall neuer bring to passe no not by our daily labour but that some remnantes will alwaies remaine yet lette euery one of vs endeuour to mortifie and to kill them least they hinder the frute of the woorde That which foloweth next where Christ teacheth that al bring not forth frute in like measure confirmeth this sentence For though the frutefulnes of that ground which bringeth foorth frute in thirtie folde is but small in comparison of a hundred folde yet we see that Christ ioyneth all those groundes together which doe not altogither deceiue the labour and hope of the husband man And we are heereby taught not to despise them which growe not to great excellencie when the householder himselfe thoughe he preferre some one aboue the rest in respecte of his high estate yet he vouchsafeth the common shewe of his fauourable goodnesse also towardes the inferiours But Hierome wresteth very fondly these three degrees to virgines widowes and wiues as though the frute which the Lorde requireth of vs were onely tied to virginitie and that the godlinesse of the maried were not oft more plentifull in bringing foorth all frute of righteousnesse This is also to be noted by the way that Christ speaketh not hyperbolically of encrease of a hundred folde for there were diuers regions at that time so frutefull as it appeareth by many Hystoriographers which were eye witnesses of the same Mathewe 13. Marke Luke 24. An other Parable put he forth vnto them saying The kingdome of heauen is like vnto a man which sowed good seede in his fielde 25. But while men slept there came his enemie and sowed Tares among the VVheat and went his way 26. And when the blade was sprong vp and brought foorth frute then appeared the Tares also 27. Then came the seruauntes of the housholder and sayd vnto him master sowedst not thou good seede in thy fielde from whence then hath it Tares 28. And he sayde vnto them The enuious man hath done this Then the seruants sayd vnto him wilt thou then that we goe and gather them vp 29. But he sayd nay least while yee goe about to gather the Tares ye pluck vp also with them the wheat 30. Let both growe together vntil the haruest and in time of haruest I will say to the reapers Gather ye first the Tares and binde them in sheaues to burne them but gather the wheat into my barne Somewhat after 36. Then sent Iesus the multitude away went into the house And his disciples came vnto him saying declare to vs the parable of the Tares of the field 37. Then answeared he and sayde to them he that soweth the good seede is the sonne of man 38. And the fielde is the worlde and the good seede they are the children of the kingdome and the tares are the children of the wicked 39. And the enemie that soweth them is the deuil and the haruest is the ende of the world and the reapers be the Angels 40. As then the Tares are gathered and burned in the fire so shall it be in the ende of the world 41. The sonne of man shall send forth his Angels they shall gather out of his kingdome all things that offend and them which doe iniquitie 42. And shall cast them into a furnace of fire there shal be wailing and gnashing of teeth 43. Then shall the iust menne shine as the sunne in the kingdome of their father He that hath eares to heare let him heare     That we may profite by this parable it is worth the labour to consider to what purpose Christ applieth it Some thinke least the confused multitude should flatter themselues in the outward profession of the gospel that he sayd that in his field there is oftē mixed bad seede with the good but that a day should come wherein the Tares should be separated from the wheat And therefore they ioyne this parable with the last as if they both had one cause and one ende But to me it seemeth otherwise for he doth therfore make mentiō of the separation least the minds of the godly should waxe faint with wearinesse in beholding a confused mixture of the good with the euill for though Christ hath cleansed his church with his bloude that it shoulde be without wrinkle and spotte yet he suffereth many faultes to remaine I speake not of the remnantes of the infirmities of the fleshe to which all the faithfull are subiect after they are regenerate by the spirit of God But assoone as Christe hath gathered a little flocke vnto himselfe many hypocrites insinuate themselues peruerse men creepe in and many wicked men thrust themselues in and so it commeth to passe that the holy company which Christ had separated vnto himselfe is polluted with many filthy pollutions Also this seemeth to be very absurde vnto many that either vngodly or prophane or wicked menne should be nourished in the bosome of the Church Furthermore there are many which vnder pretence of zeale are more frowarde then neede if all things be not ordered according to their desire because there doeth not appeare an absolute puritie they doe either tumultuously depart from the Churche or else they ouerthrowe and destroy the same throughe their outragious rigour VVherefore in

my iudgement this is the simple meaning of the Parable So long as the Churche wandereth in this worlde there shall hypocrites and wicked men be mixt with the good and syncere in the same that the children of God might arme themselues with patience and holde theyr faith strong and sure amongest the offences with which they might be troubled And it is a moste apte comparison when the Lorde calleth the Churche his fielde because the faithfull are the seede of the same And though that Christe doeth say afterwarde that the field is the worlde yet without doubt he properly applied this name to his Church whereof he began his speache But because he was to drawe his ploughe through all the coastes of the world and till fields for himselfe in the whole worlde and sowe the seede of life in the same he applied that by a figure to the world which rather agreed to a part of the same Nowe it is to be noted what is meant by wheat and what by the Tares This cannot be vnderstoode of the doctrine as if he should haue sayd where soeuer the Gospel is preached it is presently corrupted and defiled with wicked inuentions for Christ would neuer haue forbid them to labour strongly in purging such a corruption Neither was it lawfull for them to deale in this as in the maners of men to tollerate those vices which they coulde not punish for so it shoulde be lawfull to beare with wicked errours whiche ouerthrowe the purity of faith Then Christ taketh away the doubt when he doeth by name call the tares the children of the wicked Yet againe it is to be noted that this cannot be simply vnderstode of the persons of men as if God in the creation had sowed good men and the deuill euill men VVhich thing I do therfore giue warning of because the Maniches haue abused this place that they might cast a colour vppon their fained deuice of two beginnings But we knowe that what soeuer corruption is in the deuill or in men the same is nothing else but a corruption of sound and pure nature Therefore as God maketh not his electe which are infected with originall sinne good sede by creation but regenerateth them by the grace of his spirite so the deuil createth not euil men but depraueth them that were created of God and thrusteth into the fielde of the Lorde to defile the pure seede 36. He that soweth good seede He had sayde before that the kingdome of heauen was like to a sower but vnproperly Yet the sense is euident that the same doeth oft befall in the preaching of the Gospel as in the sowing of the fieldes that the Tare ouer groweth the VVheate But hee setteth downe one speciall thinge saying that the fielde was sowed wyth Tares by the deceit of the ennemie that we might know that this came not by chaunce nor naturally that many wicked menne should mixe themselues amongest the faithfull as if they were all one corne but lette vs learne to impute the faulte of this mischiefe to the Deuill not that the condemning of him shoulde deliuer menne from guiltinesse but firste that we lay no fault vppon God for thys offence befalling to his Church then that we wonder not that Tares doe grow vp in the Lordes fielde sith Sathan doeth alwayes watche to annoy it Also it is not without reason that Christe sayeth not that the Ministers of the woorde doe sowe but himselfe onely For though it be not conuenient that this be restrained to his person yet because hee vseth our helpe and applieth vs as instruments in tillinge of his fielde so that hee alone woorketh by vs and in vs hee doeth rightly chalenge that to himselfe whiche after a sorte is common vnto his Ministers Therefore lette vs remember that the Gospell is not onely preached by the commaundement of Christe but by his directions and guiding that we should be as his handes and he as the onely author of the woorke 39. The haruest is the ende of the worlde This is a very troublesome estate that the Churche should be loaden with the reprobate to the ende of the worlde yet Christe doeth therefore prescribe vs this time to prepare vs to patience least wee shoulde feede our selues wyth vaine hope It behooueth the pastours diligently to applie themselues to the purging of the Churche and in this behalfe all good menne are to helpe them so farre as their calling will suffer But when all menne haue generally putte to their helping handes yet they shall not profite so much as vtterly to purge away all filth from the Churche Therefore we must note that the purpose of Christe was nothinge lesse then by sufferance to nourishe sinnes His onely purpose is to exhorte the faithfull that they shoulde not fainte because they are compelled to haue the wicked amongest them Then it doeth also serue to bridle and to moderate their zeale whiche thinke it not lawfull to keepe companie but with pure Angelles The Anabaptistes also and suche like haue wickedly abused this Texte that they mighte driue away the vse of the sworde from the Churche But the answeare is easily made for they themselues do admit excommunication which rooteth out the wicked and reprobate for a time why should not the godly Magistrates exercise the sword against the wicked so oft as neede shall require They take exception against this saying that in the one there is space giuen for repentaunce whiche is not where the punishment of death is As thoughe the theefe founde not comfort of saluation vppon the crosse But lette this answeare suffice Christe speaketh heere neither of the office of Pastours nor of Magistrates but applieth hymselfe to take away the offence wherewith the weake are troubled while they see the Churche gathered not onely of the electe but of the filthy dregges of the wicked The reapers be the Angelles Thys woorde may be applied to thys present purpose The reapers in the fourth Chapiter of Iohn and the eighte and thirtie verse are sayde to be the Apostles in respecte of the Prophets because they entered into their labours And the commaundement is enioyned and giuen to all the Ministers of the woorde that they shoulde bring foorth frute to the Lorde whiche shoulde alwayes remaine Iohn 15. 16. To the whiche that also appertaineth that the corne waxeth white Iohn 4. 35. and requireth the reapers Also the haruest is great but the labourers are fewe Mathewe 9. 37. But heere is an other cause of this comparison for they are sayde to be planted in the fielde of the Lorde whiche occupie a roumth in the Churche Neither is that any Obiection that Christe in the thirde Chapiter of Mathewe and the twelfth verse is sayd assone as he commeth foorth with his Gospell to haue a Fanne in hand wherwith he wold purge his floure For there is described the beginning of the purging of the same which he sayeth cannot be broughte to passe before the last day for then