Selected quad for the lemma: enemy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
enemy_n	good_a	seed_n	tare_n	1,657	5	12.7414	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A53717	A peace-offering in an apology and humble plea for indulgence and liberty of conscience by sundry Protestants differing in some things from the present establishment about the worship of God.	Owen, John, 1616-1683.	1667 (1667)	Wing O790; ESTC R21637	31,968	40

A Peace-Offering IN AN APOLOGY and humble PLEA FOR INDULGENCE AND LIBERTY OF CONSCIENCE By sundry PROTESTANTS differing in some things from the PRESENT ESTABLISHMENT about the Worship of GOD. Ambigua de Religione Capita quae plurimum habere videntur obscuritatis tantis tamdiu animis decertata apud Sapientes hoc fere Certum reliauerunt nusquam minus inveniri veritatem quam ubi Cogitur Assensus Hugo Grotius Exiguam sedem sacris littusque rogamus Innocuum cunctis undamque auramque patentem LONDON Printed in the Year 1667. THE infinitely Wise and Holy GOD who disposeth of all things according to the counsel of his own Will having designed our portion in the World unto the latter dayes thereof wherein besides those difficulties which in all Ages attend them who are called unto the search and profession of the Truths of the Gospel we are forewarned of sundry Evils peculiar unto them rendring them perilous as it is our duty to apply our selves to serve his good pleasure in our Generation without repining at that station which in his work he hath allotted unto us so also diligently to take care that we add not unto the Evils of the dayes wherein we live and that what we may be called to suffer in them according to his Will may not be lost unto his holy Ends and Purposes in the World but some way or other redound unto his Glory What shall befall us in the course of our Pilgrimage how we shall be disposed of as to our outward temporary concernments as it is not in our power to order and determine so neither ought to be in our care so as that we should be anxiously solicitous thereabouts All things of that nature belong unto his soveraign Pleasure who will make them work together for good to them that love him Resting in his Will as to our outward state and condition in this world with that of the Times and Seasons wherein our Lot is fallen which he hath put in his own power we shall endeavour in reference thereunto to possess our Souls in patience waiting for that day which shall manifest every mans work of what sort it is And we know that it is but yet a little while before it will be no grief of heart unto us for to have done or suffered any thing for the Name of the Lord Jesus according to his mind and will For whereas we are well assured that the old Enemy of Mankind who is sometimes awake and sowing of Tares whilst Men sleep is never so far asleep whilst any are endeavouring to sow the good seed of the Gospel as not to stir up an opposition to their work and to labour the ruine of their persons so we believe that every sincere endeavour to promote the holy Truths and Wayes of God according to that measure of Light which he is pleased graciously to impart unto any of the Sons of Men is accepted and owned by him who is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek him which is sufficient to secure their peace and consolation under all the evils that on the account of their work they may conflict withal Neither is it a small alleviation of any trouble that we may be exposed unto that no pretence colour reason or arguings for our sufferings no means wayes or kinds of them no ends unto them can possibly be invented proposed pursued but what we are fully forewarned of that so we might not at any time think our selves surprized as though some strange thing had happened unto us This then is our great concernment in the profession of Religion this that which we ought principally to attend unto namely To commend our Consciences unto God that in all sincerity and godly simplicity we exercise our selves in the Work that he calls us unto not corrupting his Word or staining our profession by a conversation unbecoming the holiness of the Gospel and for what may outwardly befall us though producing Heaviness and Sorrow for a season the last day will manifest to have been unspeakably more the concernment of other Men than our own It is therefore on this account and that duty which we owe unto all the Sons of Men especially those who in any place or degree have the rule and disposal of us in this world and the things thereof committed unto them that notwithstanding the hazard that attends us in the discharge of every duty of this kind we adventure to represent our Condition and desires unto all that endeavour to follow after Truth with Peace For as the Minds of Men are capable of no greater Perfection than what consists in receiving the whole Truth of the Gospel nor their Souls of greater blessedness than attends obedience thereunto so every mistake of it every prejudice against it every opposition unto it or any part of it are not only in themselves a corruption and debasement of the mind but are usually attended with consequents of greater Evils in and unto them by whom they are entertained And this condition oftentimes are men otherwise upright and wise cast into either by their own ingrafted prejudices or neglect of that severe disquisition after Truth which all the Sons of it are obliged unto or by suffering themselves to be imposed on by the suggestions of others who perhaps sacrifice their actings in and about the things of God to some secular and it may be very corrupt ends of their own Hence Truth and Innocency which cannot be oppressed but when cloathed with misrepresentations and calumnies have in all Ages been forced to suffer the sad effects of their mistakes who in the mean time professed highly an avowment of them So in particular the foundation of all the miseries that ever befell the Professors of the Truth of Christ since the day that the Name of Christian was known in the World and consequently of all that evil and confusion in the Earth which the Lusts of men have produced and the righteous Judgement of God inflicted have lain in general either in the ignorance of Men of the genuine nature and tendency of the Truth it self or in their credulity in giving credit unto those misrepresentations of it which it hath alwayes been the interest of many in the world to frame and promote Hence the Professors of Christianity and every particular way therein in their respective seasons and generations have esteemed it their duty not only unto Themselves to wave their imminent sufferings if it were the will of God thereby but unto Others also whom they judged to be engaged against God and his Truth in their persecution of them to declare freely and fully what it was that they did believe and practise and therein plead the equity and reasonableness of that deliverance which they aimed at of Themselves from suffering and of Others from sinning And herein had they before their eyes the Example of the Great Apostle of the Gentiles who with various success did oft times make use of the