Selected quad for the lemma: hand_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
hand_n	behold_v	eye_n	lord_n	4,499	5	4.0894	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A25248	Redeeming the time a sermon preached at Preston in Lancashire, January 4th, 1657 at the funeral of the honourable lady, the Lady Margaret Houghton / by Isaac Ambrose.	Ambrose, Isaac, 1604-1664.; Houghton, Margaret, Lady, d. 1657.	1674 (1674)	Wing A2969; ESTC R29590	26,695	20

her condition she was all in confession of her spiritual poverty yet she cast her self into the blessed-bleeding armes of Jesus Christ yea she lay at his feet crying Lord I believe help thou my unbelief and again I rest upon Christ and upon Christ alone for Heaven and Salvation and again Though the Lord slay me yet will I trust in him and again He hath delivered and he doth deliver and I trust in him that he will deliver me still and again Hold out faith and anon thou wilt come to vision This last word hold out faith was one of the last words she spake on that last day of her life 5. In her love to Ministers Her heart was wholly set on Christ and as a true sign of it she loved Christs image especially in his Ministers And now I speak my own loss amongst others she was pleased to cast her affections on the unworthiest of all my Masters messengers In her life-time she preferr'd me to this place the Lord made her the first wheel of his providence in bringing me hither and it was some trouble to her spirit that I left this pastoral charge before she left the World Indeed she honoured all the Ministers of Christ yea the very function it self for Christ his sake Oh how will she rise up in judgement at the last day against those that make it their work to reproach vilifie and contemn the dispensers of Gods word 6. In her love and charity towards all Many discords have been in these sad times and she hath suffered much im many respects yet in her approaches near to the confines of Eternity I desired her to forgive others as she desired God to forgive her at which she proclamed it very affectionately that She freely forgave all the World and she desired all whom she had offended to forgive her Her children then kneeling about her she gave them a blessing as Jacob gave to Joseph and his children this blessing was pronounced with that cheerfulness heartiness and fervency of spirit that it melted hearts and caused aflood of tears round about her Bed in so much that she was forct to rouze up her self and to bespeak them as Christ did those weeping women Weep not for me but weep for your selves why should you weep for me that am going to my Christ and to those joyes prepared by Christ And then she gave a charge the subject of it was a relative respective duty to be performed by brethren it concern'd him most who was the begining of her strength or the excellency of her power Gen. 49.3 and so far as Justice or Religion calls I presume it will never be forgotten by him 7. In her desire to die and to be with Jesus Christ which was best of all Sometimes she cried Oh when will that good hour come And again sometimes Oh that I were dissolved that I might be with Christ But telling her of her duty that she must wait for waiting was a posture fit for servants Psal 123.2 Behold as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their Masters and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her Mistress so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God until be have mercy upon us Why then said she I will wait why Lord I will wait until my change shall come Only she minded that promise Heb. 10.37 For yet a very little while and he that shall come will come and he will not tarry One thing was her trouble she was afraid that her strong heart would not yield without much strugling to the stroke of death of this she told me and others once and again her reasons were best known to her self but she prophesied truly for indeed when death came to her heart she uttered such groanes that she outgroaned all our prayers At last death by degrees overcame the strength of nature and then she calmly and quietly left the world in the midst of our prayers just in that passage that her soul might be taken up by the Lord Jesus Christ into the Bridegroom chamber You see now how she redeemed the time in life and death As Christ said to the Lawyer so I say to you Go thou and do likewise Luke 10.37 It is but a while that all of you have to live and therfore I beseech you improve time lay hold of every season to get to Heaven Live every day as if it were your last on earth Walk accurately exactly circumspectly not as fools but as w●se Redeeming the time because the dayes are evil Soli Deo gloria

or flourishing time as I am a stranger to it so I believe she had or might have her failings in that time The temptations of honour riches prosperity and youth are stronger than most imagine and therefore prayed David Remember not the sins of my youth Psal 25.7 and all that are honourable may pray Remember not the sins of my honour nobility and greatness in the world For my part I shall not take notice of these things or of those times but rather speak of her redeeming the time since that time that forsaking the World in great measure she gave up her self in a more retired and solitary way to serve her God Now then if here I begin She hath for these many years redeemed her time as thus 1. In life 2. In Death 1. In life it will appear in her general and particular calling For the first ordinarily every Morning and every evening she was exercised in those duties of Meditation and Prayer This was her course not by fits and starts but daily in her pleasant Walks or private Chamber she spent both her early and later houres in Communion with God Nor speak I this by report onely for of her goodness and bounty she was pleased every Spring to invite me to her House and by this meanes I was acquainted with her constant course Indeed I was the more willing to embrace her welcome because her House seemed to me as a Colledge for Religion or as a retirement from the noises and more frequeent Temptations of the World and this gave her and me and all that pleased an happy opportunity to continue our devotions without interruption Some Books she had for contemplation others for an Holy conversation others for meditation others for devotion of all sorts some and of all these sorts she made some use but of all books for constant use and practice she preferred the Bible telling me often that other Books had their use and delight till with often reading they became more ordinary and then they seemed to lose of their former lustre glory and excellency but the Bible was in her often-reading ever fresh and green and new She found in it still such per petual streams of Holy Heavenly and Spiritual delights that as Teriullian said she could not but admire and a dore the fulness of the Scriptures 2. Ordinarily she spent the rest of the day in her works of the needle with her maids about her Or if other things of Houswifery had interposed she was never so transported with honour as to scorn her duty in the way of a particular calling Well she had learnt that idleness was the rust and canker of the soul the Devils cushion pillow chief reposal his very tide-time of Temptation and therefore with conscience and faithfulness she was diligent in her particular as well as general calling Now and then she would have visited poor cottages and relieved their necessities but ever was she courteous to the Neighbourhood and careful in the affairs of her own House Take all together and for ought I know she might be a pattern to most of the Ladies in our Nation or at least as a bright Morning-star amongst other stars 2. She redeemed her time in death or near her death now indeed she was taken off her particular calling and therefore this time she spent as she could for sickness in the exercise of spiritual duties and spiritual graces For duties she was much in them of which we speak before and for graces she shined and was most eminent in such as these As 1. In meekness She was of a meek and quiet spirit seldome have I seen her exorbitant in passions but often have I seen her amidst provocations quiet meek gentle and easie to be intreated In her sickness she carried it as a lamb not a word of passion or peevishness issued out of her lips so far as I observed The very Image of Christ was in this respect drawn fair within her Learn of me for I am meek Matth. 11.29 Christ a meek Christ and she a meek creature 2. In humility She was of high descent and sprung of Royal blood yet humble in heart and lowly in spirit She never scorned the poorest Creature but often stooped to wonderful condescentions as I conceived In her sickness as well as death she laid her honor in the dust She was far from the opinion of them that think humility a debasement and meekness a derogation from their repute no no she had othewise learned of Christ humility was her Ornament and therewith she decked her self in the Apostles language 1 Pet. 5.5 or cloathed her self both in health and in sickness when she could put on no other cloathing Hence she was stiled by some the humble harmless Lady 3. In patience submission and contentedness of spirit to be at God's disposal She had a sore sickness and because of her former health it was to her the sorer Of many years before she had not layn sick in Bed one day but many a turn had she took in her Walks and Gallery and through much exercise in that way she had the advantage both of her health and communion with God but now the Lord laid her on a Bed of sickness not for a day or two or three or four but for a long while together She that before had walked with God was now God's prisoner and such was the nature of the sickness that she could not stir nor move one foot yet was she patient and submisive to God's hand she kissed the rod she learnt the Churches lesson I will bare the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him Micah 7.9 She never murmured not repined one whit but as she was taught so she learnt and conformed to that frame of Eli and David Lord here I am do with me as seems good in thine own eyes 4. In faith She was ever and anon during her sickness acting faith often she acknowledged her own nothingness vileness wretchedness that she was of little faith and of no ability in respect of her self to help her self Indeed her weakness in faith in grace and in all performances was her constant complaint and this made me to mind her of that promise that he would not quench the smoaking flax nor break the bruised reed until he brought forth judgement unto victory Mat. 12.20 Some others I have seen most confident in their sickness of salvation whom though I dare not censure beause unacquainted with their grounds yet I ingenously acknowledge that I like dearly of an humble trembling self-condemning frame Sure I am that they who are vilest in their own eyes are persons in whom God most delighteth I remember how Paul in Scripture bespattered himself but are not those passages his beauty-pots Give me a man amongst you that will lick the dust of Jesus feet and I dare say of such a one that Christ will take him into his armes and lay him in his bosome it was