Selected quad for the lemma: hand_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
hand_n	david_n	enemy_n	lord_n	6,577	5	4.4912	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A93063	Davids deliverance and thanksgiving. A sermon preached before the King at VVhitehall upon June 28. 1660. being the day of solemn thanksgiving for the happy return of His Majesty. By Gilbert Sheldon, D.D. and Dean of His Majesties Chappell Royall. Published by His Majesties speciall command.	Sheldon, Gilbert, 1598-1677.	1660 (1660)	Wing S3068; Thomason E1035_1; ESTC R203558	25,453	52

DAVIDS Deliverance and Thanksgiving A SERMON Preached before the KING at VVHITEHALL Upon June 28. 1660. Being the DAY of SOLEMN THANKSGIVING FOR THE Happy RETURN of His MAJESTY BY GILBERT SHELDON D. D. AND Dean of His MAJESTIES Chappell Royall Published by His Majesties Speciall Command LONDON Printed for Timothy Garthwait at the Little North Door of S. Pauls 1660. PSALM 18. 49. Therefore will I give thanks unto thee O Lord among the heathen and sing praises unto thy Name The words before run thus Vers 46. The Lord liveth and blessed be my rock and let the God of my salvation be exalted 47. It is God that avengeth me and subdueth the people under me 48. He delivereth me from mine enemies yea thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me thou hast delivered me from the violent man 49. Therefore c. WHat the Argument of this Psalm is why when and by whom written the Title shews and tels us that 't was Davids made in the day that the Lord delivered him from all his enemies and from the hand of Saul 'T is recorded 2 Sam. 22. after the Rebellion of Absalom and Sheba and 't is thought by some to be one of the last if not the very last that ever he made I shall not meddle at all with the mystical or Prophetical sense of it either as it relates to Christ or his Church matters more proper for other times but onely with the Historical or Literal as it concerned David and by his example all that succeed him in the like Dangers and Deliverances even us at present and proper and fit it is for us For 't is a Psalm of Thanksgiving throughout and the Verses read unto you are a sum of the whole a recapitulation of all that went before where after a Commemoration of Gods several Deliverances he infers his own Duty and so by consequence ours in the words of the Text Because thou hast so graciously so mercifully delivered me from so many and great dangers Therefore will I give thanks unto thee O Lord among the Heathen and sing praises unto thy Name Wherein be pleased to take notice with me of these three particulars 1. Of David delivered 2. Of God his Deliverer 3. Of Davids thankfulnesse for his deliverance Of these in order and first of the person delivered I. DAvid 1. David delivered a King and Saint both which intitle him to an especial interest in Gods good Providence Kings are his Deputies Saints his Friends and David no ordinary King or Saint but eminent in both relations an excellent Person Act. 13. 22. and gracious King one after Gods own heart a Type of Christ and no marvel if such be delivered by him if God have an especial care of him The wonder is how so good a Man so gracious a Prince should have Enemies and Rebels should fall into such dangers and afflictions should need so many deliverances But if we consider it well it 's no wonder neither never was never will be For if we look to the eminentest persons in all Ages of the World from the first man to this day we shall find that the best of Men and most godly have ever had many afflictions many enemies and many the more for being so The Prophet complains 't was his case and that he suffered much because he followed the thing that good was Psal 38. 20. And St. Paul assures us that All all without exception that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution 2 Tim. 3. 12. and if there were no other cause even for their godlinesse their Vertues are a reproach to the wicked world and cannot well be endured But reason enough for it there is besides for even in the best there is something amisse no corn without chaff nor gold without some dross All Saints are sinners and sin will be punished in Gods children soonest of all he least endures it in them Psa 17 14. 'T is the wicked usually that have their portion in this life and that come in no trouble like other men Psal 73 5. Prosperity in sin is their curse a sad sign of utter destruction and the very next step to Hell fire But they who are designed for Heaven must pass thither through much tribulation Act. 14. 22. There is ever an Aegypt in their way to Canaan Only this is their comfort that being under his Rod they are not out of his Care Afflictions are their Physick and by them Prov. 27. 21. like Gold in the Furnace they gain lustre and lose no weight are mended here that they may be saved hereafter No marvel then if a Saint fall into trouble if he need deliverance especially if a King if a Saint-Royal For no state or condition of men in the world is so obnoxious to dangers as theirs For man by nature is proud and querulous impatient of government greedy of liberty ever restless and pressing after new desires always displeased with the present and thirsting after change scarce any content with their condition Some are ambitious and would be greater others covetous and would be richer have suffered a repulse in some unreasonable suits have been restrained in some exorbitant desires injuries not to be forgiven or forgotten Some are necessitous and so greedy some revengeful and will be quarrelling some envious some turbulent and delight in mischief and many the like Now all this crowd and throng of inordinate passions and humors dischargeth it self upon those in power and place and hope to find ease by some publick disturbance which they endeavour by all arts and wayes imaginable that so in troubled waters they may catch that which quieter times would have derived upon persons of better merit And the condition of Kings gives some advantage to such designs for they stand high all eyes are upon them nothing they say or do escapes observation and censure if any thing be amiss as in the distraction of many cares and multiplicity of much business 't is impossible but that some slips should happen some errors be committed they are sure to hear of them to their greatest disadvantage a Mote will be called a Beam a Gnat a Camel and a few will be multiplied into many 'T were happy with the world were every man as wise as he thinks himself but the opinion of Wisdome is the greatest part of Folly and that the common disease of Mankind And so much the worse because they ever think themselves wisest in other mens business are ever complaining they do not their duty especially Governours whose great misfortune it is that if all be well with us by their care and wisdom we thank our selves for it if any thing amiss we blame them and what fals upon us by our own sins we usually with great injustice impute to their errors And which is still worse if they cannot be justly charged with any miscarriage yet that helps not Innocency is no protection for them their

his Madness was Wisdom and our Wisdom folly We fools thought so but Fools we were for so thinking Now what fools say is little to be regarded the Sun shines though the blind see it not and a God and Providence there is that sends Deliverance though the fool say There is not and so let the Atheist passe under David's and Solomon's Character while we to our great comfort one of the greatest we are capable of in this world acknowledge believe and visibly see and by experience find That there is a good Providence over us that orders all the affairs of the world from the least to the greatest from Empires and Thrones to the falling of a Sparrow on the ground and the very numbring of our hairs as our Saviour S. Math. 10. 29 30. That as 't is He and He only that brings us into danger that lays afflictions on us for our sins for who gave Jacob for a spoil and Israel to the robbers did not the Lord he against whom they had sinned For they would not walk in his ways neither were they obedient to his Law therefore he hath powred upon them the fury of his anger and the strength of battel Isa 42. 24 25. Just our case we served him so he served us so our great sins brought his great judgements upon us And so againe 't is He and He onely that must remove those afflictions that must deliver out of those dangers For who is God but the Lord and who hath any strength to doe it except our God 'T is David's question at ver 31. of this Psalm and our answer must be None can do it else none but he Neither Men nor Angels nor any nor all the Creatures of Heaven and Earth can give it They may be Instruments in his hand which he moves directs orders limits and restrains when he will and how he will he delivers by them if you will and he too without them when he will no Means too weak with him none strong enough without him but whether with or without means 't is still he that does it he that delivers and none else For the help that is done upon Earth he doth it himself as 't is in the Old Translation Psal 74. 13. Sure I am Application we found it so all we did or could do toward a settlement proved nothing worth all attempts vain no Treaties no Armies no Endeavors by our selves or others that wished well to our Peace did us good though never so probable never so hopeful they were all lost and frustrate all vanished into nothing How visible was Gods hand in it when all rash and unreasonable attempts prospered with some while others failed in the best and most probable And either the worst Counsels were followed as it usually happens when God determines to judge and afflict a sinfull Nation or the best never prospered but when brought to ripeness miscarried in the birth Thus it constantly was and thus it would have been till we had been utterly consumed had not he had mercy on us had he not raised up a Deliverer never to be mentioned without Honour nor to be forgotten in the Prayers of all good People that God would multiply his favours and blessings both temporal and spiritual upon his Person and Posterity for many Generations But whoever were the Instruments of our deliverance we must still remember to raise up our thoughts to him by whose power they wrought it and give him the glory of all since nothing is more certain that none did it none could do it but he and having this experience of his power and goodnesse it must be a warning to us hereafter that we loose not our labour in seeking it elsewhere that we have patience to wait for it till he is pleased to give it that we suffer not our eager desires or fears to hasten it by unlawful means to purchase it by sin VVere we right in our Faith We must not do evill that good may come of it we should think it impossible to be had without him as indeed it is unlesse he permit it for our greater mischief for who can resist his will and were we right in our Wits we should not think it worth the having but by him for he that to escape Danger runs into a sin is much like the starting Horse who to avoid a shadow upon one side the way leaps down a precipice to his ruine on the other and like him that for fear of a lesser runs into a greater mischief and to avoid a Pot-gun throws himself into the mouth of a Cannon A sad bargain it is let the State-Atheist think what he will to buy deliverance from the greatest temporal mischief by the least wilfull sin to save Wealth Honour Crowns and Scepters Life it self any thing we have or all at the loss of our God at the expence of our Soul which exceeds the whole VVorld in value and all it hath in it But there is a further degree of Folly in this course still a greater blindness for we sacrifice the comforts of this Life and hopes of a better which every wilful known sin robs us of for just nothing VVe believe indeed we purchase deliverance by sin and think we have it when at the best 't is but an exchange of danger and that too the little for the great some trouble here for eternal damnation hereafter Nay 't is not always not oft so much neither as an exchange of danger though that bargain is made sad enough by the disproportion but a doubling of it if you will a contracting a new danger by a new sin and but a running from the old one way to meet it another a bringing of what we labour to avoid with more speed and greater certainty upon us VVould you have Resolution of a Council of State-Atheists in the case and see how it sped You shall find it at the 11 chap. of St. John's Gospel vers 47. 48. What do we say the Priests and Pharisees sitting in Council against our Saviour for this man doth many miracles and if we let him alone all men will believe on him and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and Nation What was resolved on what was done upon this Why the fear of this danger put them upon a horrid sin the shedding of most innocent blood they murdered him And did that avoid the danger they feared by it No the Romans did come and for the punishment of that very sin took away their place carried them captive destroyed their Nation 'T is St. Augustine's observation confirmed by the experience of all Ages I will not say it always happens so a speedy Repentance may sometimes give a stop to the ordinary course of Gods Judgments but it very oft it most commonly happens so as all Histories witness and our own Experience can tell us perhaps in our own particular affairs in the Publick it hath ever been too too