Selected quad for the lemma: hand_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
hand_n	heaven_n	place_n	right_a	5,096	5	6.6111	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A33283	Two sermons preached at Cambridge the first at the Lent assizes, 1654, the other on the yearly commemoration of Dr. Andrew Pern, 1655 / by J. Clerk.	Clarke, Joshua.	1655 (1655)	Wing C4481; ESTC R29962	25,596	69

There hath been a time when Devout Christians have been willing to lay down their estates at the Apostles feet to serve the Churches necessity There hath been a time when superstitious Christians have contributed beyond the Churches necessities Insomuch that the Venetian state and others have thought fit by severe laws to check their liberalitie least the Church should swallow up the revenue of the Common-wealth There is no feare of that extreme now amongst us and we have grounds to hope the good providence of God will prevent the contrary Though it be too manifest The religious charitie of Christians hath been much abused yet surely the abuse of their gifts may be reformed without their utter abolition Drunkennesse may be suppress'd without cutting down the vines as that rigid lawgiver did The house of God may be swept without a beesome of destruction 2. For the encouragement of learning Religions handmaid that hath for the most part flourished with her mistresse and next to her is the greatest honour and accomplishment of a person or nation The most beautifull ornament the most usefull instrument that God vouchsafeth unto the sonnes of men The onely remedie against barbarisme and savagenesse Yea tacitly commended by her very professed enemies whilest they are proud of that little learning they pretend to 3. For the upholding of their families The bonds of nature are neither broken nor slackened but exceedingly strengthened by Christianitie Our great Apostle pronounceth him that provides not for his family worse then an infidel And though he bore a tender affection to all the sonnes of Adam and became all things to all men for their advantage yet his love to his brethren and kinsmen according to the flesh so farre transports him that he could even wish himself accursed for their sakes Rom. 9.3 4. For the relief of the poore That great sacrifice of the Gospel so frequently and powerfully urged by the precept of our Saviour and his Apostles so commended by the examples of all the Saints in all ages so approved and exalted by the generall vote of the whole world that the very naming it is sufficient to prove it a principal stream of Christian charity 5. For the publick good of the communitie The best Christians have alwayes been the best Commonwealths men Indeed Religious persons both Jews and Christians have been often accused for the troubles of Israel That turn the world upside down that professe a religion inconsistent with peace and civil government But what scandals and groundlesse calumnies these have been Their very enemies so many of them as have had the patience to search out the truth have acknowledged to the world as might be prov'd by many instances if it were needfull and seasonable 6. For the maintenance of humane society The Christian name hath alwayes been renowned for offices of courtesie and humanitie as well as of compassion and is as cleare from the imputation of sordidnesse as of luxury and profusenesse These or some of these wayes according to their abilities and opportunities have the faithfull Stewards of God laid out their earthly talents Go you and do likewise III. Particular is the profit or benefit of their office from the manner of expression Make to your selves friends And here the apologie of a late learned man in the like case is seasonable Ipsa virtus vilis hoc seculo ignoscere mihi debet si quand● per se contemnitur ex utilitatibus ipsi pretium facio If the beauty of this grace be not powerfull enough of it self to enamour you yet let her dowry tempt you You will hereby make friends to your selves mighty friends that when ye fail will receive you into everlasting habitations as it follows in the next words Ambrose indeed would have this latter clause understood of the Angels and paraphraseth the words thus That when ye die the Angels may receive you into everlasting habitations Others understand it indefinitely and think it signifies no more then this That when ye fail ye may be received c. as elsewhere they shall call his name Emmanuel Matth. 1. that is his name shall be so called and this night do they require thy soul that is thy soul is required Luke 12.20 But it best agrees with the parable foregoing and with the contexture of the whole verse if we referre this they in the latter part to those friends in the former part of the verse and so make the latter an exegesis of the former Make to your selves friends of unrighteous mammon that when ye die those friends may receive you into everlasting habitations Not that all these friends of yours will be willing to receive you into happinesse seeing many of them may prove ungratefull and fall short of it themselves Nor yet that any of them are able in their own persons and by their own power to receive you for it is God that gives both grace and glory and disposeth of all places in heaven both at his right hand and at his left Nor yet lastly that they shall be your advocates and mediatours fee'd by your charitable gifts to speak a good word for you and by their interest to obtain your reception into heaven as some grosse Romanists collect from this place But they may be said thus to befriend you two wayes 1. By being the objects and occasions of those pious and charitable works which are the way to those everlasting habitations And it is a familiar scheme of speech to ascribe that to the object which properly belongs to the action As parents honoured and obeyed may be said to prolong our dayes And the stone out of the wall and the beam out of the timber are said to crie out against covetous persons So the backs and bellies and soules of poore distressed creatures which out of an humble obedience to the law of Christ and a tender compassion to your brethren you have clothed fed and refreshed will plead and that effectually upon the gracious promises of God for your reception into everlasting habitations 2. They may be said thus to befriend you though not in their own persons yet by their sureties God himself and his Sonne Jesus Christ have engaged and if I may so speak entred bond with these poore debters of yours to see your labour of love repaid with full interest nay to give you a recompence of infinite value for that i● which ●n it self is worth nothing God by his own promise hath made himself your debter according to that known saying of Austin Fidelis dominus qui fecit se nobis debitorem non aliquid à nobis accipiendo sed omnia promittendo You have it under the hand of the Holy Ghost himself that giving to the poore is lending to the Lord. That entertaining clothing feeding visiting the poore afflicted members of Christ are so many good offices done to Christ himself and acknowledged by him as his own personall debts and engagements So that prove your friends here spoken