Selected quad for the lemma: hand_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
hand_n	call_v	lord_n	word_n	4,304	5	3.9970	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26939	How to do good to many, or, The publick good is the Christians life directions and motives to it, intended for an auditory of London citizens, and published for them, for want of leave to preach them / by Richard Baxter.	Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691.	1682 (1682)	Wing B1283; ESTC R5487	40,184	56

Prayer Commandments and Catechism by rote and never understand them when a lively book that awakeneth their Consciences bringeth them to sensible consideration and to a true understanding of the same things which before they could repeat without sense or savour It is the Catechistical truths which most of our English Sermons press And the lively pressing them maketh them pierce deeper than a Catechism If men that in life or at death give a stated revenue for good works would settle the one half on a Catechizing English School and the other half on some sutable good books it may prove a very great means of publick reformation When a good book is in the House if some despise it others may read it and when one Parish is provided every years rent may extend the Charity to other Parishes and it may spread over a whole Country in a little time Most of the good that God hath done for me for knowledge or Conscience hath been by sound and pious books III. A great means of publick good is the right ordering of Families all the week but especially on the Lords day Tho the Ministry be the usual means of Converting Heathens and Insidels Christian Education by Parents is the first means appointed by God for the holy principling of youth Parents must teach them with unwearied diligence lying down and rising up Deut. 6. 11. And they that will expect Gods blessing must use his appointed means Nature teacheth men and brutes to provide for their off-spring with diligence and patience And as Grace teacheth believers to expect far greater things for themselves and their Children than this world affordeth so it obligeth them to be at so much greater diligence to obtain it An everlasting Kingdom deserveth more labour than a trade of full estate for the flesh If all Parents did their parts to make their Children Sanctified Believers as well as they expect the Schoolmaster should do his part to make them Scholars and the Master do his part to teach them their Trades we might hope that Ministers would find them fitter for Church work and that Godliness would not be so rare nor so many wicked Children break their Parent hearts But of this I have spoken lately in my Counsel to young men Religion is never like to prosper if it be not made a Family work If it be there made the chief business of the house and done with reverent seriousness and constancy if Magistracy and Ministry should fail yet families would propagate and preserve it Begin with a reverent beging the help and blessing of God then read his word and call upon his name Speak serious words of Counsel to inferiours spend the Lords day as much as may be in publick worship and the rest in reading Godly books and in singing Gods praise and calling on his Name Put suitable books into the hands of Servants and Children to read when they have leisure Encourage them in it with Love and rewards and keep them out of the way of temptation And then Gods blessing will dwell in your Families and they will be as Churches of God If any complain of negligent Ministers or persecuting Magistrates and will not do their own Family duties which none forbids they condemn themselves IV. If you would be publick blessings and do good to many do your best to procure a skilful faithful Ministry in the Church 1. Send no Son to the University who doth not first shew these three qualifications a capable natural wit and utterance a love to serious practical Religion a great desire to serve God in the Ministry tho it should be in suffering from men If they want any one of these design them to some other Calling devote not an undisposed Lad to the Ministry in hope that God will make him better but stay till he is better 2. Seeing Pastors are here obtruded on the flock it is a work of great importance for Religious Gentlemen to buy as many Advowsons or Presentations as they can that they may introduce the best that they can get God hath hitherto made use of the qualifications of the Ministers as the special means for the welfare of his Church The bare title and office is so far from sufficing without the skill and fidelity of the persons that such have been the great corrupters and disturbers of the Church When pious men have heaped up riches and honours on the Clergy these have been baits for the worst men to become seekers and make the sacred Ministry but a trade for wealth And if carnal worldly men be Ministers alas what plagues may they be to the people and themselves They will hate the Spiritual practice of doctrine which they Preach when they have told men of a Heaven and Hell and the necessity of a holy heart and life as if they had been in jeast they will take those for hypocrites that believe them and live accordingly They will take the best of the flock for their Enemies because they are Enemies to their hypocrisie and vice Instead of imitating Saint Paul Act. 20. who taught them publickly and from House to House day and night with tears they will turn the Ministry into Complement and formality and think that by saying a cold unskilful Sermon and by roteing over a few heartless words they have laudably performed their part They will take those for their best hearers who will most honour them and best pay them tho never so ignorant and ungodly and their spleen will swell against the best and most Religious people because they dislike their unfaithful lives and Ministration If Religion should be in publick danger these will be the Judas'es that will sell it for gain They will do anything rather than suffer much They are Ministers of the world and not of Christ Readier to make Crosses for others than to bear the Cross of Christ For it is Gain that is their Godliness And when their treachery is seen and hated they will hate the haters of it And the studies of Malignant men will be their Laboratories and the Pulpits the place where the sublimate and essence of malice must be vended How effectually will Satans work be done when it is performed in the formalities of the Sacred Ministry and in the name of Christ O what hath the Church suffered by a worldly graceless Ministry these thousand years and more and what doth it yet suffer by them in East and West But on the other side a skilful faithful Minister will Preach sound Doctrine and worship God with serious devotion and live to Christ and the Churches good He will speak the word of truth and life with truth and liveliness As one that believeth what he saith and feeleth the power of it on his heart Tho he must have Food and Rayment as other men it is the saving and edifing of Souls which is his work to which he bendeth all his studies for which he prayeth and longeth and in which he rejoyceth

of publick self-defence against its publick enemies that is against any that by his Religion or his own profession bindeth himself to destroy that Nation if he can or by open arms seeketh no less than their destruction But as few calamities are worse to a Land than War so much is to be endured to prevent it It is like a red hot Iron which Fools lay hold on thinking it is cold till it fetch off skin and flesh to the bones and perhaps set the house on fire If your Cause be bad God will not be for you and he that so taketh the Sword shall perish with the Sword and if you bite and devour one another you shall be devoured one of another And alas thousands of the innocent usually perish or are ruined in the flames which furious men do kindle No doubt as suffering a Prison so venturing in War is a duty when God calls you to it But in its self a Prison is a far more desireable sort of suffering than a War Therefore between the danger of the miseries of an unlawful War and the danger of betraying our King or Kingdom for want of necessary defence how cautelous should all sober Christians be IX If you would promote the common good do your best to procure wise and faithful Rulers Quest What can private men do in this Ans 1. In Cases where they have choosing Voices they ought to prefer the best with greatest resolution and not for slothfulness to omit their part nor for worldly interest or the fear of men betray their Country as ever they would escape the punishment of the perfidious Wo to that Judas that sells his Country and Conscience for any bribe or by self-saving fear 2. In other Cases where you have no Choosing Vote with men you have a praying Voice with God Pray for Kings and all in Authority that we may live a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty God hath commanded no duty in vain Do it earnestly and constantly and hope for a good issue from God Do it not selfishly that you may have prosperity or preferment by them but sincerely for their own and the Common good God is the Fountain of power the absolute Soveraign of all the world Men are but his Provincial officers none claimeth an universal Government of the world but one that pretendeth to be Christs Vicar General and none believe his claim but blinded men There is no power but of and under God who hath made Rulers his Ministers for our good to be a praise to them that do well and a terrour to evil doers that they that will not be moved with the hopes of Gods future rewards and the fears of his punishments may be moved by that which is near them within the reach of sense And all men regard their bodies tho only believers are ruled by the everlasting interest of their Souls Therefore pray hard for Kings and Magistrates For if they be good they are exceeding great blessings to the world They will remember that their power is for God and the Common Good and that to God they must give a strict account They will take Gods Law for the only Universal Law to the world and conform their own as By-Laws to it They will take their own interest to consist in pleasing God and promoting the Gospel and Kingdom of Christ and the piety and saving of Mens Souls They will be Examples of serious Godliness of Justice and sobriety trustiness and temperance and Chastity to their subjects in their eyes a vile person will be contemned but they will honour those that fear the Lord Psal 15. 4. They will Love those most that Love Christ best and most deligently obey him and tenderly fear to sin against him Those please them best that please God best and are most useful to the common good They will set their hearts on the peoples welfare and are watching for all while all securely live under their vigilancy They will cherish all that Christ cherisheth and specially the faithful Pastors of the Churches that seek not the world but the welfare of the flocks When some are saying In this Mountain we must worship God and some at Jerusalem they will teach them all to worship God in Spirit and truth When Pastors and people grow pievish and quarrelsome for their several interests opinions and wills a Constantine will cast all their Libels into the fire and rebuke the unpeaceable and restreine the violent and teach them to forgive and love each other and will be the great Justice of Peace to all the Churches in the Land and pare their nailes that would tear and scratch their Brethren He will Countenance the sound and peaceable and tolerate all the tolerable but will tie the hands of strikers and the tongues of revilers He will contrive the healing of exasperated minds and take away the occasions of division and rebuke them that call for fire from Heaven or for the Sword to do that which belongeth to the word or to execute their pride and wrath Godliness will have all the encouragement they can giveit and innocency a full defence Malignity and Persecution and Perjury and unpeaceable revenge will be hateful where they rule and they had rather men feared sin too much than too little and would have all men prefer the Law and honour of God to theirs where the Righteous bear rule the people rejoyce The wisdom piety and impartiality of their Governours suppresseth prophaneness oppression and contention and keepeth men in the way of love and peace and as the welfare of all is the care of such a Ruler above his own pleasure wealth or will so he will have the hearts and hands and wealth of all with readiness to serve him No wonder if such are called Nursing Fathers and the light of our eyes and the breath of our Nostrils and the shaddow of a rock in a weary Land As they bear the Image of Gods Supereminency and doubly honour him they are doubly honoured by him so that the names of pious Princes shew not only the sense of Mankind but the special providence of God in making the memory of the Just to be blessed And as they could not indure to see in their days ungodliness triumph or serious godliness made a scorn or Conscience and fear of sinning made a disgrace or the Gospel hindred and faithful Ministers forbid to preach it so God will not suffer their Consciences to want the sense of his Love nor their departing Souls to fail of their everlasting hopes nor their memories to be clouded by obscurity or reproach Even among Heathens What a name have those Emperours left behind them who lived in justice charity and all virtue and wholly studied the good of all What a wonder is it that M. Antonine should be so extolled by so many Writers and not one of them all that I remember speak one word of evil of him save that a small and