Selected quad for the lemma: enemy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
enemy_n	hand_n	lord_n	stretch_v	1,025	5	9.8952	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A64083	Bibliotheca politica: or An enquiry into the ancient constitution of the English government both in respect to the just extent of regal power, and the rights and liberties of the subject. Wherein all the chief arguments, as well against, as for the late revolution, are impartially represented, and considered, in thirteen dialogues. Collected out of the best authors, as well antient as modern. To which is added an alphabetical index to the whole work.; Bibliotheca politica.	Tyrrell, James, 1642-1718.	1694 (1694)	Wing T3582; ESTC P6200	1,210,521	1,073

and irresistible the Persons and Authority of Kings were under the Iewish Government and there cannot be a plainer Example of this than in the Case of David He was himself anointed to be King after Sauls death but in the mean time he was grievously persecuted by Saul who pursued him from one place to another with a design to take away his Life How now doth David behave himself in this Extremity What Course doth he take to secure himself from Saul Why he takes the only Course that is left to a Subject he flies for it and hides himself from Saul in the Mountains and Caves of the Wilderness and when he found he was discovered in one place he removes to another He kept Spies upon Saul to observe his Motions not that he might meet him to give him Bat●le or to take him at an Advantage but that he might keep out of his way and not fall unawares into his hands Well but this was no thanks to David you 'll say because he could not do otherwise He was too weak for Saul and not able to stand against him and therefore had no other Remedy but flight But yet we must consider that David was a Man of War he slew Goliah and fought the Battles of Israel with great success he was an admired and beloved Captain which made Saul so Jealous of him the Eyes of Israel were upon him for their next King and how easily might he have raised a Potent and formidable Rebellion against Saul But he was so far from this that he invites no Man to his Assistance and when some came uninvited he made no use of them in an Offensive or Defensive War against Saul Nay when God delivered Saul twice into David's hands that he could as easily have killed him as have Cut off the Skirts of his Garment at Engedi or as have taken That Spear away which stuck on the Ground as his Bolster as he did in the Hill of Hachil●h yet he would neither touch Saul himself nor suffer any of the People that were with him to do it tho' they were very importunate with him to let them kill Saul nay tho' they urged him with an Argument from Providence that it was a plain Evidence that it was the Will of God that he should kill him Because God had now delivered his Enemy into his Hands according to the Promise he had made to David we know what use some Men have made of this Argument of Providence to justifie all the Villanies they had a Mind to act But David it seems did not think that an opportunity of doing evil gave him a License and Authority to do it Opportunity we say makes a Thief and it makes a Rebel and a Murderer too No man can do any wickedness which he has no opportunity of doing and if the Providence of God which puts such opportunities into Mens hands might justifie the wickedness they commit no Man can be chargeable with any Guilt whatever he does and certainly Opportunity will as soon justifie any other Sin as Rebellion and the Murder of Princes We are to learn our Duty from the Law of God not from his Providence At least this must be a settled Principle that the Providence of God will never justifie any Action which his Law forbids And therefore notwithstanding this Opportunity which God has put into his hands to destroy his Enemy and to take the Crown for his Reward David considers his Duty remembers that tho' Saul were his Enemy and that very unjustly yet he was still the Lords anointed The Lord forbid says he That I should do this unto my Master the Lords anointed to stretch forth any Hand against him seeing he is the Lords anointed Nay he was so far from taking away his Life that his Heart smote him for cutting off the Skirt of his Garment And we ought to observe the Reason David gives why he durst not hurt Saul because he was the Lords anointed which is the very Reason the Apostle gives in the Romans because the Powers that are are ordained of God and he that resisteth the Power resisteth the Ordinance of God For to be anointed of God signifies no more than that he was made King or ordained by God For this external Unction was only a Visible Sign of Gods Designation of them to such an Office And it is certain they were as much Gods Anointed without this Visible Unction as with it Cyrus is called Gods Anointed tho' he never was Anointed by any Prophet but only designed for his Kingdom by Prophecy And we never read in Scripture that any Kings had this external Vnction who succeeded in the Kingdom by Right of Inheritance unless the Title and succession were doubtful and yet they were the Lords Anointed too that is were plac'd in the Throne by him So that this is an Eternal Reason against r●sisti●g Soveraign Princes that they are Set up by God and invested with his Authority and therefore their Persons and their Authority are Sacred F. I am so far from differing with you in what you have said concerning this Example of David towards Saul tho' his Enemy that I think it ought to be a Pattern to every single Private Man tho never so great in a Kingdom or Common-Wealth how to comport himself towards the Supream Powers if he himself alone be unjustly persecuted by them either in his Life or Estate that is to fly if he can tho' with the loss of all his Estate rather than resist tho' there are some Circumstances in this Story of David that make it evident that he did not think a Defensive War against those Cut-throats that Saul might send to Kill him unlawful and so much Dr. Fearn himself in his first Discourse call'd resolving of Conscience c. against Resistance of the Higher Powers acknowledges For David when he fled from Saul made himself Captain of four hundred Men which number soon encreased to six hundred And still every day grew more by Additions Now why should he entertain those Men but to defend himself against the Forces of Saul that is to make a Defensive War when ever he was assaulted by him M. I think I can give you a sufficient answer to this and therefore you must observe that David invited none of these Men in to him but they came as Volunteers after a Beloved Captain and General which shews how formidable he could easily have made himself when such Numbers resorted to him of their own Accord When he had them he never used them for any Hostile Acts against Saul or any of his Forces he never stood his Ground when he heard Saul was coming but always fled and his Men with him Men who never were us'd to fly and were very ready to have served him against Saul himself would he have permitted them And I suppose you will not call it a defensive War to fly before an Enemy and to hide

themselves in Caves and Mountains and yet this was the only defensive War which David made with all his Men about him nay all that he would make and all that he could make according to his Professed Principles that it was not Lawful to stretch out his hand against the Lords Anointed And when these Men are pursued as David was by an enraged and Jealous Prince I will not charge them of Rebellion tho' they fly before him by thousands in a Company Yet there was sufficient Reason why David should entertain these Men who voluntarily resorted to him tho' he never intended to use them against Saul for some of them served for Spies to watch Sauls Motions that he might not be surprised by him but have timely notice to make his Escape And the very presence of such a number of Men about him without any Hostile Act preserved him from being seiz'd on by some Officious Persons who otherwise might have delivered him into Sauls hands And he being Anointed by Samuel to be King after Sauls Death this was the first step to his Kingdom to have such a Retinue of Valiant Men about him which made his Advancement to the Throne more easie and discouraged any Oppositions which might otherwise have been made against him as we see it proved in the event and have reason to believe that it was thus ordered by God for that very End It is certain that Gad the Prophet and Abiathar the Priest who was the only Man who escaped the Fury of Saul when he destroyed the Priests of the Lord were in David● Retinue and that David enterpriz'd nothing without first asking Counsel of God But he who had Anointed him to be King now draws Forces after him which after Saul's Death should facilitate his Advancement to the Kingdom F. I cannot think your Answer to this Objection satisfactory for first it is evident that when David was at the Cave of Adullam his Brethren and all his Fathers House as soon as they heard it went down thither to him and tho' it be not expresly said that he sent for any to come to his Assistance yet it is plain he refused none that came and to what purpose should he make use of so many as 400 or 600 Men unless it were to defend himself against those Men that Saul might send against him since half a score or twenty Persons had been enough to have served for Spies and if he had thought himself obliged only to run away three or four Servants had been enough in conscience to have Waired on him in any Neighbouring Country but that David thought it no Sin to defend himself from the Violence of those which Saul should send to Kill him is plain from what he says to Abiathar upon his flight unto him after the Death of his Father Abide thou with me fear not for he that seeketh my Life seeketh thy Life but with me thou shalt be in safeguard And if David had not meant by these Words to have defended Abiathar's as well as his own Life if assaulted and without a Possibility of escaping it had been very cold comfort for David to have only assur'd him that he should be in safe-guard with him till the first assault that should be made upon them but that then he should shift for himself for as for his own part he would rather permit his Throat to be cut by the Kings Officers or Souldiers than resist them And therefore tho' I own that it was not Lawful for him to stretch out his hand against the Lords Anointed Since I do not allow any Private Subject to Kill even Tyrants unless a in State of actual War or Battle wherein they are Aggressors nor then neither if it can possibly be avoided Yet do I not find it at all unlawful for David or any other private Man to defend his own Life against such Assassinates as his Prince may send against him So it may be done without a Civil War or endangering the Peace of the Common-Wealth And so much you your self tho' Coldly seem to yield when you say that the very Presence of such a number of Men about David without any Hostile Act preserved him from being seiz'd on by some Officious Persons who otherwise might have delivered him into Sauls Hands For I cannot think that David would have been at the trouble of keeping so many Men only for shew and a Terrour to those Officious Persons you mention without resisting of them if there had been occasion And tho' you tell me that his being Anointed by Samuel to be King after Sauls Death was the first step to the Kingdom to have such a Retinue of Valiant Men about him which made his Advancement to tho●punc Throne so much the ●aster and discouraged any Opposition which might have been made against him and that we see it proved so in the Event and therefore have Reason to believe that it was thus ordered by God to that very End I must take the Liberty so far to differ from you For first I desire to know by what Authority David could List 600 or 700 Men in Arms in Sauls Territories and whether according to your Doctrine they were not Rebels for joyning themselves with one who was declared a Traytor by the King And tho' you say it was thus ordered by God I grant indeed it was yet doth it not appear that it was done by any Divine Revelation to Nathan or Abiathar but only by the Ordinary Course of his Providence like other things in the World and therefore it is no fair way of Arguing for you to affirm that what ever David did in the matter of his own Defence contrary to your Principles he must needs do it by express order from God of which the Scripture is wholy silent much less doth it appear from the Story that these Men whom David kept with him were only to facilitate his attaining the Kingdom as you affirm since the Scripture mentions no such thing only that after Saul's Death he went up by Gods Command to Hehron with the Men that were with him and thither the Men of Iudah came and there they Anointed David King over the House of Judah but 't is no where mention'd that these Men were of any use to David for the Obtaining of the Crown since the Tribe of Iudah would have made him King tho' these Men had not been with him for what could 600 or 1000 Men do against so vast a Multitude as the whole Tribe of Iudah And therefore it is evident that these Forces were for no other End than his own defence And tho' you make very light of this State of War in which David was in relation to Saul yet pray tell me supposing that the Duke of Monmouth had really been as he Pretended the Legitimate Son of King Charles the II. but by some Particular Disgust of his Father or by the Intrigues of his Competitor the Duke of York had