Selected quad for the lemma: hand_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
hand_n	lay_v	lord_n	see_v	4,431	5	3.2997	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29117	Elijah's epitaph and the motto of all mortalls in the other reason in the text, perswading him into a willingness to dye, in these words, I am no better then [sic] my fathers, I Kin. 19, 4 / by Thomas Bradley, D.D. one of His Late Majesties chaplains and præbendary of York, and preach't in the minster there, and in his rectory of Ackworth, 1669, Ætatis suæ, 72.	Bradley, Thomas, 1597-1670.	1670 (1670)	Wing B4131; ESTC R34264	17,583	51

in Jesurum yet in his temper the meekest man in all the Earth Saint Paul an Arch-Apostle the great Doctor of the Gentiles yet speaking of himself see how he lessens himself If he speak of Saints I am saith he the least Ephes 3.8 If of sinners I am the greatest 1 Tim. 1.15 The truth is they that have Grace know they want more then they have they are enlightened and so see their wants their corruptions their infirmities and are sensible of them Those that are voyd of Grace as they have it not so they doe not feel the want of it nor hunger and thirst after it for it is an Act of Grace to be sensible of the want of Grace And a further Act of Grace to hunger and thirst after it in spirituall things None think better of themselves then they that have least cause Empty Vessels make the greatest noyse and sound those that are full doe not so They are the light Eares of Corne that stand staring up in the field over-looking and over-topping the rest those that are weighty with Corne hang down their heads In the Pharisee and the Publican in the Gospel you have them both Luke 18. ver 10.11 c. I thank God I am not as other Men nor as this Publican I fast twice a week I pay Tythes of all that I have c. An empty Vessell see what a sound he makes and all this while but as sounding brass and a thinkling Cymball The other with a penitent heart and a submissive Voyce makes his humble Confession and Petition to Almighty God Lord be mercifull to me a sinner He goes away justified rather then the other The Voyce of humble Saints in the estimate of themselves was wont to be that of David 1 Chron. 29. Lord who or what am I that thou hast dealt thus bountifully with me that thou hast brought me hitherto But now the Voyce of empty and conceited Christians hypocrites rather is clean contrary What am I not am I not knowing am I not wise am I not holy had such a conceited Christian all that he pretends to have and pride himselfe in it that very humour would marr all the rest and take away from it all the thanks acceptance and reward in that he prides himselfe in that which is not his own and robs God of his glory For what hast thou which thou hast not received And if thou have received it to whom is the prayse of it due to the Receiver or to the Giver to the Owner or to the Donor David apprehended rightly of this when he confesseth That in all the largeness which he and the people had given towards the building of the Temple to the Honour and Worship of God they had given him nothing but what was his own 1 Chron. 29.14 Of thine own have we given thee Of his own every way For first 'T was he that gave them the substance which they contributed to that pious use Secondly 'T was he that gave them the heart to doe so so it was his own every way Of thine own have we given thee If there be any good in us whether Naturall Morall or Spirituall it is his own If any evills that 's our own and this is so much in comparison of that good which is sound in the best of us that it doth so over ballance it that it is no more then a drop of water in a bucketfull in comparison To keep us humble therefore and to make us so look not upon that little good that is in us which is none of our own but look upon that evill which is in us and is truely our own our sinnes our corruptions our infirmities our inordinate affections sinfull lusts unruly passions and if in this examen we will deale impartially with our selves I beleeve there is no man knows so much evill by another as he doth by himselfe and therefore shall doe himselfe no wrong if he confess as in the Text He is no better then others If so worthy a Prophet as Elijah doth acknowledge He is no better then his Fathers well may we the best of us confess we are much worse This of the first Observation The Prophet's humble Confession The second now follows and that is His ingenious Concession That he was no better then he should be For though there was singular modesty and humility in this testimony he gives of himselfe That he was no better then his Fathers yet withall he speaks it as sensible of his infirmities and that he was not free from those Passions and corruptions which humane frailty is subject unto Saint James making Honourable mention of him James 5.17 yet baukes not that Elias was a man subject to like passions with us And this very request of his in the Text That the Lord would now take away his Soule was not altogether free from blame it discovered some infirmity in him in not being willing to stay the Lords time for taking of him out of the World the Lord had more worke for him to doe before he took him away as it appears afterward in his Story But God doth not take the advantage of his servants infirmities against them though we doe so one against another but where he sees an honest heart an upright mind truth in the affections sincerity in the desires seriousness the endeavours and the bent of the will to be towards him and to the feare of his Name he will pass by many infirmities and failings in his servants and lay his hand upon them that he may not see them to be displeased with them for it and take notice of that which is good in them to approve it to commend them for it and to reward it such is the indulgence of our Heavenly Father Lord have mercy upon us if he should strictly marke what is done amiss and deale extreamly with us in this matter the best of us yea the best that ever were we or our Fathers Noah Abraham Lot Levi Moses Aaron David Solomon Peter c. saints of the first List famous for their faith and ●iety holiness and obedience yet had their ●aylings and those foule ones too in sinnes of high nature scandalous and fearfull up●n Record all Written for our instruction ●ot for our imitation But First For caution that we may walk warily ●nd circumspectly and at every step we tread ●ook to our footing Secondly For humiliation that we should not be high-minded but feare considering what weaklings what nothings we are if God leave us to our selves Thirdly For admonition that we may judge charitably of others in case of offence And Fourthly For consolation in case it may be our own case that we may not therefore give our selves for lost or forsaken of God but lay hold on Christ by Faith and recover our selves by Repentance assuring our selves that the Lord will accept us to grace and mercy as he did these our Fathers notwithstanding all these breaches in their obedience

blessed And those on the left hand the Sentence of Condemnation Ite maledicti Goe ye cursed So they shall goe into eternall life and these into everlasting fire I conclude this Discourse with the words of Saint Peter upon the same subject 2 Epist 3. chap. 11. ver Seeing all these things must come to pass what manner of people ought we to be in all holy conversation and godliness And those of Saint Paul to the same purpose 2 Cor. 5.11 Considering the terrors of the Lord we admonish you What to doe To reconcile your selves unto God to goe quickly and make your peace with your adversary while you are in the way that is in this life before you dye and your soule be taken away to break off your sinnes by repentance that they may be blotted out and not be found upon the fyle against you in the day of account to make your accounts streight and ready that when the Master shall call for them you may give them up with joy to get oyle into your Lamps and your lights burning that you may be ready to enter in with the Bridegroome to purge your selves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit by the sanctifying vertue of the holy Ghost and get your soules wash't in the blood of the Lambe that so when they shall be separated from the body by death you may with comfort and confidence commend them into the hands of God in the words of the Prophet and of the Text and say Lord take away my soule and he may own it and accept it and take it into the highest Heavens and assigne it a place among the holy soules of the Saints in light where it shall rest in joy happiness and glory for evermore And so we have now put up the Prophets Petition to Almighty God in his own words Lord take away my soule But there is no Petition but referrs to some Answer which leads us to enquire after the Answer to this What Answer did the Lord give to this his request Did he grant his desire by taking away his soule or no No he did not And why so First He had more work for him to doe before he meant to take him away He was to Anoint Huzael King of Syria Jehn King of Israel And Elisha Prophet in his roome It was after this that he had that great bussle with Ahab about Naboth's Vineyard and denounc't a heavy judgement from the Lord upon him for that his oppression and injustice which fell upon him accordingly And as great a controversie with Ahaziah his Sonne whom he sentenc't to death for seeking to the god of Ekron for help in his sickness And many other great things did he before God took him away Therefore the Lord would not grant this his request at this time though it seemed to be reasonable and modest To take away his soule he would not doe it yet he had more work for him to doe first Secondly If God had granted this his request now it had been much to his loss it had prevented his glorious assumption into Heaven in a fiery Charriot which honour he had afterward as we reade 2 Kings 2. Besides the glory that he got upon those two Kings Ahab and Ahaziah in sentencing them to death for their wickedness And upon the two Captains of Ahaziah in calling for fire from Heaven to devoure them and their fifties sent to take him 2 Kings 1. It had been much to his loss if God had granted him his request therefore he would not grant it to take away his life but sent an Angell with Provision to satisfie his hunger and his thirst and to preserve him from famishing in the Wilderness he had no worse Katerer 1 Kings 19.6 and afterwards taken up both body and soule into Heaven in a fiery Charriot From hence I rayse these two Observations The first That God doth not alwayes grant the Suits of his servants but sometimes may and doth for good reason deny them The second this That God doth oftentimes give unto his servants greater things then they aske he out-grants their own asking To the first Moses had a desire to goe into the Land of Canaan God would not suffer him He carried him up to the top of Mount Nebo where he might take a view of it but he would not grant he should goe into it but there he took away his soule Deut. 34.4 5. Saint Paul was a great favourite of Heaven and he Prayed again and again that the Messenger of Satan might depart from him yet was content to sit down without an Answer And when at last with much importunity he obtained an Answer it was not so directly to his request but onely a generall promise of Gods Grace to support him under the conflict My Grace is sufficient for thee For this thing I besought the Lord thrice that it might depart from me and at last he obtained this answer My Grace is sufficient for thee Supplicat primo Grace is denyed Supplicat secundo Grace is denyed again Supplicat tertio Grace is granted yet all this while he doth not gratifie him in granting what he requested in specie but granted him something els that he in his wisedom thought fitter for him My Grace is sufficient for thee Deus non semper dat ad voluntatem sed Deus dat at sanitatem God doth not alwayes give according to our will but God alwayes giveth for our weale as a Father speaks Deus audit misericorditer Deus non audit misericorditer When God heareth us it is in mercy when God heareth us not it is in mercy too Sometimes we in our ignorance ask such things as are not fit for us to receive sometimes such things as 't is not fit for him to give In both these cases it is no wonder if we ask and have not sometimes we ask amiss and then no marvaile if he deny us sometimes unseasonably and then no marvaile if he delay us Yet let not all this discourage from asking but let it make us First wise and prudent in framing our Petitions both for the matter and the manner of them To take to us words and goe to God to consider he is in Heaven and we on Earth and therefore to let those words be few but weighty Secondly To mark well the returns of our Prayers whether God hath answered them or no or how If he hath answered them in specie and directly then ther 's a speciall ground of Faith and farther confidence in God 2ly By speciall matter and occasion of prayse and thanksgiving I will hear thee and thou shalt prayse me Psal 50.15 And thirdly Great encouragement and invitation to Pray again and to goe with boldness to the Throne of Grace not doubting to obtain like help again in the time of need I am well pleased that the Lord hath heard the Voyce of my Prayer that he hath enclined his eare unto me Therefore will I call upon him as long