Selected quad for the lemma: enemy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
enemy_n	sleep_v	sow_v	tare_n	1,022	5	12.2153	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A31858	Sermons preached upon several occasions by Benjamin Calamy ...; Sermons. Selections	Calamy, Benjamin, 1642-1686.	1687 (1687)	Wing C221; ESTC R22984	185,393	504

them If he be not pleased with if he doth not entertain such thoughts upon some other accounts there is no more Religion or vertue in fixing his mind upon God than there is in thinking of the Sun or Moon or Stars or any proposition in the Mathematicks or any other innocent thing or notion for thus an atheist may consider much God's nature and attributes and providence onely to pick a quarrel with him or find out something to object against them And on the other side the best men may and sometimes must think of those things that are sinfull how else should they ever repent of them beg God's pardon for or resolve against them there is no reading in the holy Scriptures or any other histories wherein the evil actions and speeches of wicked men are recorded there is no living or conversing in the world where so much evil is every day committed without thinking of that which is sinfull but then in good men the thought of any such thing is always with grief and detestation they think of it as of a thing that is most hatefull and pernicious to them as men think of a plague or mischance shivering at the very naming of it and praying to God to preserve them from it Thus our thoughts are not to be called or counted evil onely from the object of them Nor yet farther by evil thoughts do I understand any sudden thoughts starting up in our minds before we are aware which will not I believe be imputed to us as sins though if consented to they are undoubtedly evil for nothing will be reckoned to us as a sin or punished as such but what is some way or other voluntary and might have been helped or avoided Now such first motions of sin as we commonly call them which come upon us nobis non scientibus nec volentibus without our knowledge and against our wills are onely the exercise of our vertues when presently checked and contradicted but when consented to and delighted in they then bring forth sin and sin when it is finished brings forth death But to be more particular I shall first of all shew you when our thoughts may be counted voluntary and we are truly and justly answerable for them Secondly propound to you some of the several kinds of evil thoughts Thirdly lay down some practical rules for the due government of our thoughts I. I shall shew when we are justly answerable for our thoughts or when they may be reckoned voluntary and here I shall onely give these three instances 1. When evil thoughts are plainly occasioned by any thing that was voluntary in us then they are to be accounted voluntary and sinfull What our thoughts shall be depends very much upon the choice of the outward objects that we converse most with in the world and they will be oftenest on those things which we delight most in and accustome our selves most unto So far forth therefore as our company discourse employments entertainments books recreations wine nay I may add diet too do contribute to the stirring up in our minds wanton and lustfull covetous or ambitious angry or revengefull thoughts so far are such thoughts voluntary in us and though they may come upon us and arise in our minds without any actual consent or command of our wills yet we are justly answerable for them as having by some wilfull act of our own disposed our selves for such thoughts By sensuality and looseness and intemperance and indulging themselves in bodily pleasures men may so debase their minds that hardly any thoughts shall offer themselves but what are beastly and lewd or at best trifling and useless Empty light vain foolish extravagant thoughts are the natural product of idleness sloth pride and luxury So that though what we shall think of be not at all times in our power yet it is in our power in a very great measure to abstain from those things which are apt to incite evil thoughts and minister fewel to them from all incentives or provocations to inordinate or filthy imaginations And as far as we our selves give occasion to the raising up of evil thoughts in our minds so far are they voluntary and imputable to us 2. When evil thoughts proceed from gross supine negligence and carelesness then are we accountable for them when we keep no guard at all over our minds and fancies but give them free liberty wildly to rove and ramble and let what will come into our thoughts if they then prove vile and wicked it is very much our own fault and we must answer for them because we then willingly prostitute our minds to every lust and vanity And when we set the doors wide open without any watch or guard we must blame our selves if dishonest men enter in sometimes as well as good friends Indeed notwithstanding all our care to secure our selves thieves may perchance break in upon us or creep in unawares whilst we sleep or intermit our watch for we cannot be always upon the guard the enemy may sow some tares inject and dart in some evil thoughts Though we keep never so strict an eye over our selves and endeavour to the utmost to keep our souls pure and chast yet sometimes by surprize through casual non-attendance and inadvertency or the cunning and activity of our spiritual enemies a base wicked thought may suddenly possess our minds nay and abide in us for some time before we take notice of it but then the mind is mostly passive in this it is ravished rather than voluntarily commits lewdness this is our weakness and infirmity onely which God is always ready to pity and pardon Our souls are active and busie they cease to be and exist when they do not think of something or other Now if we do not take care to furnish our minds continually with good and usefull matter for our thoughts they will soon find out something else to exercise themselves upon and when we let them run loosely and at random and think at all adventures as it happens we then tempt the Devil to chuse a subject for us we expose our selves to the wildness and extravagance of our own vain imaginations and when we keep no watch no wonder though we be overrun with swarms of vagrant thoughts When therefore our evil thoughts arise from gross neglect and carelesness they then may be accounted voluntary and charged on us as sins 3. Though evil thoughts may be involuntary at the first starting of them being occasioned by what we could not avoid hearing or seeing or coming upon us unawares or proceeding from the temper and habit of our bodies or the accidental impulses and motions of the animal spirits in our brains which are the most immediate instruments the soul uses in her operations though thus the first rise of evil thoughts may be involuntary yet if we with pleasure entertain and cherish them if our fancies are tickled by them if they are delightfull and gratefull to us this