Selected quad for the lemma: hand_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
hand_n	body_n	soul_n	spirit_n	5,254	5	5.2345	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A93740	The great, useful and blessed duty of a contentment, willingness and desire to die set forth upon true and assured grounds, in several discourses on these following scriptures. By Richard Stafford, A servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. Recommended as more proper and beneficial to be given at funerals than gloves or rings.	Stafford, Richard, 1663-1703.	1700 (1700)	Wing S5119A; ESTC R223444	53,707	69

fit their Masters use So it is accordingly expected 〈◊〉 us that we work together with his Grace and Sp 〈…〉 which would work in us mightily if we do not rebel 〈◊〉 vex his Holy Spirit that we may become meet re 〈…〉 prepared fit and ripe for God the great proprietou 〈…〉 our Souls who gathereth them up to himself He b 〈…〉 the Father of Spirits and accordingly the faithful speak Into thine hand I commit my Spirit That they 〈◊〉 become also when our Bodies drop into the grave shock of Corn in its season That when it is slipt 〈◊〉 dislodged from the Body it may be such as himself spe 〈…〉 of Behold mine Elect in whom my Soul delighteth 〈◊〉 42. 1. Or which is to the same benefit or significat 〈…〉 for the Lord Jesus who is the Son of God to say 〈◊〉 ye Blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for from the foundation of the World What comfortable w 〈…〉 are here We would unless we be such fools as not to k 〈…〉 the worth thereof give Thousands of Rams and ten T 〈…〉 sand Rivers of oyl yea all we have in the world for assurance thereof But though Rich people have the vantage as to this world they have none as to the w●… to come for the corruptible things of Gold and S●… We were not Redeemed by these but by the precious Blood of Lamb of God will not purchase Heaven nor yet pr 〈…〉 the favour of God Which is to be had by no 〈◊〉 way then that of Obedience and Holiness Obey my 〈◊〉 and live An Holy God loves an Holy Soul For th●… fore it was that God speaks this of Jesus Christ Behold Servant whom I uphold Mine elect in whom my Soul del 〈…〉 eth Because he than knew from the beginning 〈◊〉 his Son Jesus Christ would finish the work that God 〈◊〉 him to do as Christ makes the return thereof th●… had finished it Wherefore when he cometh into world he saith Sacrifice and offering thou wouldst not a Body hast thou prepared me In burnt offerings and S●… fices for Sin thou hast had no pleasure than said I Lo 〈◊〉 In the volume of the Book it is written of me T●… will O God From which and many other places of ●…pture it may be truly Reasoned that God hath not much pleasure in outward acts of Worship nei●…r doth he so much insist upon and require them I 〈◊〉 not reprove thee for thy Sacrifices or thy burnt offerings have been continually before me as in the doing his will ●…is is the chief thing which God requires of Man Hath 〈◊〉 Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and Sacri 〈…〉 as in obeying the voice of the Lord Behold to obey is 〈…〉 r than Sacrifice and to hearken than the fat of Rams ●ow this is true Christianity to imitate Christ For as was the first Born amongst many Brethren so he ●…self saith I have given you an example that you should 〈◊〉 I have done Seeing therefore that Christ did all which 〈◊〉 his Father sent him about and finished his work 〈◊〉 did his will So we ought also severally as we his Creatures but more especially as we profess our ●…es to be the Servants of God For his Servants shall ●e him Do all which he sends us about on this Earth 〈◊〉 finish his Work and do his Will all the days of our 〈◊〉 For 't is not sufficient to be good or godly for a sea●… but the promise is To them who by patient continu 〈…〉 in well doing seek for Glory and Honour and Immorta 〈…〉 Eternal Life that towards the end of this present 〈◊〉 we may also make the like comfortable return unto 〈◊〉 I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do 〈◊〉 the other Blessed consequent may be also And now 〈◊〉 I to thee ●o him that shall hear or Read these lines the word ●exhortation saith Go thou and do likewise Be upon 〈◊〉 and finishing the work which God gave thee on 〈◊〉 Earth for to do and finish For if this should be ●…ected Wo unto us for the day goeth away for the shadows ●he Evening are stretched out Thou nor yet I know 〈◊〉 little sand there is the Glass of our life as yet to 〈◊〉 out A great deal of our life is past and the day Immortality is at hand The night is far spent let us ●efore cast off the works of darkness and let us put on the ●our of light I say again Be upon the finishing part your work endeavour to have them polished and compleat The Church of Sardis was admonished Be wat●… ful and strengthen the things which remain that are re●… to dye for I have not found thy works perfect before G●… Now this finding fault doth instruct us on the other ha●… that we should have our works perfect before God which we do endeavour with all our Heart and with all our S●… and all our might God himself will perfect and add u● it untill it become acceptable in his sight Being confid●… of this very thing that whatever good work he hath begu●… any of you he will perform it untill the day of the Lord ●…s And again it is written Lord thou wilt ordain 〈◊〉 for us For thou also hast wrought all our works in us 〈◊〉 der which word peace the things that belong to our pe 〈…〉 are comprehended and included even future Salva 〈…〉 and Glory Who are kept by the power of God thr 〈…〉 faith unto Salvation ready to be revealed in the last ti●… Receiving the end of your faith even the Salvation of 〈◊〉 Souls I do hereby exhort the people of this my Gener 〈…〉 on and Country to be upon the finishing part of y●… work which God hath given you severally on the E 〈…〉 for to do For so an entrance shall be ministred unto abundantly into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord Saviour Jesus Christ Wherefore I will not be negligent to you always in Remembrance of these things though ye 〈◊〉 them and be established in the present truth Yea I think it 〈◊〉 as long as I am in this Tabernacle to stir you up by putting yo● Remembrance knowing that shortly I must put off this my ●…bernacle even as our Lord Jesus Christ who is the word of G●… hath shewed me Moreover I will endeavour for which sa●… reason I desire that this profitable Book of a content●… and willingness to dye may be Printed and Published 〈◊〉 you may be able after my decease to have these things always remembrance And seeing that it is but a very little while fore that I shall certainly depart of from the Stage of 〈◊〉 Earth I commend you to God and to the word of his gr●… which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritan●… mong all them which are Sanctified I commend you also the teaching of the Spirit Lord evermore give us this Br●… Lord evermore give us the teaching of thy

THE Great Useful and Blessed DUTY OF A Contentment Willingness and Desire TO DIE Set forth upon true and assured Grounds in several Discourses on these following Scriptures Lord now lettest thou thy Servant depart in Peace according to thy word For mine Eyes have seen thy Salvation Luke 2. 29 30. Into thine hand I commit my Spirit Thou hast Redeemed me O Lord God of truth Psal 31. 5. I have glorified thee on the Earth I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do John 17. 4. By RICHARD STAFFORD A Servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ Recommended as more proper and Beneficial to be given at Funerals than Gloves or Rings LONDON Printed and are to be sold by the Book-sellers of London and Westminster 1700. Lord now lettest thou thy Servant depart in Peace according to thy Word For mine Eyes have seen thy Salvation Luke 2. 29 30. FRom these Words I shall treat through God's Assistance and according to the Knowledge given me O continue thy loving kindness to them that know thee and thy Righteousness to the upright in heart of our contentment and willingness to Die or depart from off this Earth Why Is there any need to perswade or exhort People to a Willingness and Desire to surrender back their Spirits unto the God who gave them This seems to be but what is Natural and Reasonable Yet still there is a reluctancy and backwardness in our Spirits to do this because the Spirit is conscious of having offended God and is afraid to meet with him Angry or as a God that ●aketh Vengeance And therefore until this same God is perfectly Reconciled unto and at Peace with her and he is sensible and assured thereof the Soul must needs be affraid and backward to come and appear before him A diversity is to be observed when it is written Into thine hand I commit my Spirit Thou hast redeemed me O Lord God of Truth The Psalmist doth not here say Thou hast Created me O Lord God of Truth Though indeed this is true yet that is not altogether so satisfying 〈◊〉 Reason for him to willingly commit his Spirit into God's Hand as the consideration of his having Redeemed him is Because that by Nature we are the Children of Wrath as well as others and we are shapen in Iniquity and in Sin doth our Mother conceive us So that until this same Sin and Iniquity which is the Object of God's Hatred Displeasure and Punishment be done away and we are Redeemed from it for by his Redeeming us we are in a state of Reconcilation again as this is God's Act also as well as of Creating us we are not meet and consequently there cannot be a Willingness upon good and true Grounds to give up our Spirits unto God or to say with old Simeon in the Text Lord now lettest thou thy Servant depart in Peace Even this old Simeon though he had already lived long on this Earth yet he would not have been so contented and desirous to have departed out of it unless he was to depart in Peace Not to depart generally as most People do in doubt fear and trouble but to depart in Peace If we could have our choice and it were so in our power as to be Immortal here and never to Die as for my part I should desire and pray unto God either to depart in Peace or not to depart at all Fo●… as it is said of the Son of Perdition It would have been good for him if he had never been Born so it may be here affirmed of those who do not depart in Peace It would be good for them not to depart or not to dye at all Not but that some may go off disturbedly and yet go off safely The Soul may be sometimes in a state of Peace and yet not be sensible thereof Who feareth th● Lord and obeyeth the voice of his Servant and yet walketh in darkness and have no light Isa 50. 10. But when one hath true and assured Grounds of Departing in Peace as Simeon here had there one may pray and appeal to God for him to let our Soul depart from the Body What were those true and assured Grounds which Simeon had of departing in Peace They are contained in the following Verse For mine Eyes have seen thy Salvation From hence it appears that the true and assured Ground● for which any one is willing and contented to Dye is Because he hath seen the Salvation of God or for the committing our Spirit into the Hand of God is Because he hath Redeemed us Now to see the Salvation of God or for God to Redeem us do amount to near one and the same thing As it is written The Kingdom of God cometh not with Observation in the Margent there it is with outward shew Neither shall they say Lo here or Lo there for be●old the Kingdom of God is within you So here it may be reasoned and supposed The Salvation of God is not outward nor yet cometh with Observation but the Salvation of God is within us It is wrought and accomplished within us And thou shalt call his Name Je●us for he shall save his People from their Sins Mat. 1. 21. Who is a Prince and a Saviour and the Author of E●ernal Salvation to all that obey him and the Salvation of God As to all this Christ is no otherwise a Saviour ●r doth save us or is the Salvation of God than as he ●oth save us from our Sins and turn us from our ●aiquities For this is laying the Ax to the Root of ●…e Tree and digging to the very Ground-work and ●oundation because that only by reason of Sin we be●…me liable and obnoxious to Death Misery and Punishment So that by certain and necessary Consequence 〈◊〉 we are saved from Sin then also we are saved from ●eath Misery and Punishment Hence again appears that this is the Salvation of God to save us from our Sins ●nd to save us from the Guilt and Corruption of our ●ature from whence these same Sins do proceed forth and so in those many places of Scripture where Salvation belongeth unto our God and is ascribed unto him 〈◊〉 he is called the God of Salvation there it is meant of ●…ving us from our Sins Where he saves from our E●…mies Sin is the greatest Enemy for 't is Sin in such a ●…an or Woman which only makes him or her to be our ●nemy Thou hast led captivity captive Psal 68. 18. that 〈◊〉 God hath led Sin and Corruption which doth in●lve the Children of Men in Captivity Captive by 〈◊〉 having received gifts for Men. And then it follows ●lessed be the Lord who daily loadeth us with Benefits and ●…imating thereby that to be saved from our Sins or to ●…d that Captive which before held us in Captivity is 〈◊〉 greatest Benefit And then it follows Even the God of our Salvation Selah He that is our God is the God of Salvation and unto

according to what the same Apostle elsewhere witnesseth of himself which is also applicable to other People who would have and enjoy the same good things For I am now ready to be offered and the time of my departure is at hand I have fought a good Fight I have finished my course I have kept the Faith henceforth there is laid up for me a●… Crown of Righteousness which the Lord the Righteous judge shall give me at that day and not unto me only but unto a●… them also that love his appearing The Crown of Righteousness will not be had by any one until he hath first fought the good fight and kept the Faith There is no departing in peace according to the word of God or according to the understanding desire of the Reasonable Creature without having first seen the Salvation of God The second true and assured ground of a contentment willingness and desire to dye is when the Lord God of truth hath Redeemed us Sanctifie them through thy truth Thy word is truth And so the same God that doth Sanctifie his People through his truth doth also Redeem them through his truth or by his word of truth When we are once throughly Redeemed and Sanctified by the truth of God then we may commit our Spirits into the hand of God For then these Spirits of ours are Redeemed and Sanctified from whatever Defilement and Corruption they had from the Body and from the things of this Earth Then the Spirit returns to God again the same as it was when he gave it The Temple of God is Holy which Temple ye are And so God expects that that Spirit which he Created Holy for so it was before it is defiled with the Body of Death should be kept and preserved Holy but chiefly it should be Sanctified that is made Holy just as it comes to be surrendred and given back unto God Every Like loves its Like and an Holy God loves an Holy Soul The Scripture expressly affirmeth it Without Holiness no Man shall see the Lord which implyes the contrary that with Holiness or when the Soul is endued or clothed with Holiness it shall then certainly see the Lord to its endless Comfort and Rejoycing The great and principal Business we have to do here on this Earth and as we are going off from it which we do continually as soon as we are Born is to dye to Sin I dye Daily saith the Apostle and to get Holiness ingrafted into the Soul As we are day after day approaching nearer and nearer unto the Grave here let us examin and prove our selves whether we are yet more Dead unto Sin and have Holiness yet more ingrafted into our Souls Whether as our desires grow more languid and unaffected as to Creature Comforts and to creature enjoyments by having had them over and over so often already So the same desires are more from Sin and Vanity and the more thirst after God And after the Enjoyment of him in his Kingdom so as to cry out from the real sense bent and inclination of our Souls As the Hart panteth after the Water Brooks so panteth my Soul after thee O God! When we can say in truth and seelingly within our self there is none upon Earth I desire besides thee And when in old Age we cannot tast what we Eat or what we Drink When the Keepers of the House shall tremble and those that look out of the Windows are Darkened when the Grashopper shall be a burthen and desire shall fail My Flesh and my Heart faileth if then God is the strength of our Heart and our Portion for ever For so the right Consequence is and Endeavours should be used accordingly That as our outward Man decays day by day so we should be more renewed in the inward Man As the day approaches continually nearer and nearer when we shall outwardly go off from this Earth the more we should be Redeemed from the Earth that is we should be Redeemed from the Evil and Defilement and Corruption of this Earth before we can upon Assured grounds commit our Spirit into the hand of God Besides this of being Redeemed from our vain conversation and from the Corruption of our Nature and of being without Guile and Fault before the Throne of God The chief and especial Redemption is that which was wrought and accomplished by Jesus Christ who in his Love and Pity hath Redeemed them and he bare them and he carried them all the days of old Isa 63. 9. Even Jesus which delivered us from the wrath to come Who bought us with a price and purchased us with his own Blood As God the Father Redeemed and brought up the Israelites out of the Land of Aegypt Whereby he was in a more especial manner their God for the Redeemer hath a right in the Redeemed Even so God by his Son Jesus Christ hath Redeemed Mankind from Spiritual Aegypt from the Slavery and Bondage of Sin and Satan and Death Christ hath Redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us And it was this Redemption wrought and accomplished by Jesus Christ who was of the seed and linage of David whom the Scripture therefore calls the Son of David which David speaks of by the Spirit and had respect unto when he said Into thine hand I commit my Spirit Thou hast Redeemed me O Lord God of truth To pursue the very same Reasoning here as is in Acts 2 25 30. 32. For David speaketh concerning him Thou hast Redeemed me O Lord God of truth For being a Prophet and knowing that God had sworn with an Oath to him In fulfilling of which he is here fitly called the Lord God of truth That of the fruit of his loins according to the Flesh he would raise up Christ to sit on his Throne and to Redeem Mankind by him He seeing this before spake of the Redemption of Christ Thou hast Redeemed me O Lord God of truth It being the usual stile of Prophecies to speak of that as already past which is to come Whereby is shewn forth the immutable truth of the Eternal God for what he hath decreed in his Eternal counsel and purpose it is as certain as if it was already past and fulfilled As Abraham saw his day and was glad so here David saw his day and was glad And truly well they might for saith the Apostle in the Persons of the Regenerate for we were by Nature Children of wrath as well as others So that Abraham and David were Children of wrath also And then both of them might well be glad to foresee by Faith this Jesus Christ who was to Redeem them from the wrath to come The word Redemption is a relative term and doth presuppose captivity thraldom or the being sold from all which Redemption doth lose and set free again And so this Jesus Christ travelled in the greatness of his strength and was mighty to save he led Captivity Captive that is he led even Sin

and the Devil Captive which before did lead and hold People in captivity who from their inslaving Nature are here expressed not to be only Captivating Men but they are Captivity it self in the Abstract Intimating thereby that these who are under the power of Satan For so the Scripture expresses it to turn from Darkness unto Light and from the power of Satan unto God they are in the utmost Captivity yea worse than that is of those that are bound with Chains and Fetters although these are seen but the others are to be understood and felt by such who are in the Bond of Iniquity Acts 9. 23. For Sin iniquity and lust are as a Chain or Bond which doth hold and hamper People therein that they know not yea they cannot without Christ that strengtheneth them get out and extricate themselves from it Now as Jesus doth save his People from their sins he doth in this sense Preach deliverance to the Captives and set at liberty them that are bound and Redeem them who for their Iniquities had sold themselves Isa 50. 1. Even unto the Devil and Hell the place of Damnation and eternal Punishment And having spoiled Principalities and Powers he made a shew of them openly triumphing over them The Principalities and Powers here meant are the Principalities of the other World the Powers of Darkness and the Devil who is the Prince of the Power of the Air Here Jesus Christ is said to have spoiled the Principality and Power of the Devil which he hath done to such as are Christs for over such the Devil hath no Principality or Power and triumphed over them in himself so that since he hath Redeemed ransomed and preserved us from all the evil and terrible things of the future and invisible world which we immediatly enter into by Death And then we may be willing contended and desirous to dye when we are assured before hand that God hath by his Son Jesus Christ Redeemed us from all the Power of the Enemy and from all the evil things of the other World So that nothing there shall in the least hurt us much less torment and make us miserable And thus these two Expressions Lord lettest thou thy Servant depart in peace according to thy word for mine Eyes have seen thy Salvation Into thine hand I commit my Spirit thou hast Redeemed me O Lord God of truth do fall in and meet together near to same sense and meaning even according to the requiring and earnest desire of the reasonable Creature who would fain not be miserable hereafter The one signifies to be saved and the other to be Redeemed from the wrath to come which are one and the same thing The consequence again is certain if we are saved from the wrath to come then we shall enjoy the Blessedness come ye Blessed of my Father to come as the Scripture saith Whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the Lake of fire So it may be reasoned on the other side whosoever shall not be cast into the Lake of fire shall enter into Life so that if we are saved and Redeemed from the Lake of fire we shall enter into life and everlasting happiness Now seeing that the decree of God standeth on this wise we may upon very good reasons not only say so contentedly but also really assent unto the same in our minds being contented willing and desirous from the ground of our heart that it should be so Lord now lettest thou thy Servant depart in peace for mine Eyes have seen thy Salvation into thine hand I ●ommit my Spirit thou hast Redeemed me O Lord God of truth The third true and assured ground of a contentment willingness and desire to dye is when we have glorified God on the Earth and finished the work which he gave us 〈◊〉 do Even every one that is called by my name For I have created him for my Glory I have formed him yea I have made him this People have I formed for my self they shall ●hew forth my praise Isa 43. 7 21. Thou art worthy O Lord to receive Glory and Honour and Power for thou hast Created all things and for thy pleasure they are and were Created Rev. 4. 11. Herein is my Father glorified that ye bear much fruit John 15. 8. From all these Scriptures considered together it appears that the end and intent of God's creating People is for his own Glory and Praise and that he might have fruit from them or that they should bring forth fruit unto God For the Son of Man is as a Man ●aking a far journey who left his House and gave Authori●… to his Servants and to every Man his Work and commanded the Porter to watch Mark 13. 34. And so it may be conceived after the same similitude of things that Almighty God the great Creator who is now in Heaven the habitation of his Holiness which is afar off and many Millions of miles distance But the Earth his house or one ●art of the House of his Creation He hath left and ●ave to the Children of Men and gave Authority to his ●ervants as Rulers and Ministers have For none are so 〈◊〉 to have Authority as those who are indeed the Ser●nts of God And to every Man his work and commanded the Porter to watch so that every Man hath received his work from God for him to do and finish on this Earth And accordingly as he doth and finisheth this work here on Earth he can both surrender back his ●pirit and also give up his account with joy and not with grief which would be unprofitable for him Now what is it to glorifie God here on Earth I an●wer in General It is to observe to do the statutes and ●udgements of the Lord God of our Fathers in the Land ●hich he giveth us to possess it all the days we live upon Earth Deut. 12. 1. To fear God and keep his Commandments is to be our constant business and work all our life long but there being div●rsuies of gifts but the same Spirit and there are differences of Administrations but it is the same God that worketh all in all But the Manifestation of the Spirit is given to every Man to profit withall 1 Cor. 12. 4. 5. 6 7 This spake he signifying by what Death he should Glorifie God John 21. 19. And so according as there are diversities of gifts and differences of operations in People and as one glorifies God by his Death one way and another another So there are divers ways and different manners of Glorifying God according to the several cases circumstances conditions or rather according to the several gifts and endowments in People By what Death he should Glorifie God Now in Death there is bitterness and hardship it being the hardest and most terrible thing in the world to dye from hence we gather that when we poor Creatures submit or subject our selves to hardship or difficulty either in obedience to