Selected quad for the lemma: hand_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
hand_n	body_n	head_n	member_n	5,319	5	8.1605	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07203	Contentment in Gods gifts or some sermon notes leading to equanimitie and contentation. By Henry Mason parson of S. Andrews Vndershaft London	Mason, Henry, 1573?-1647.	1630 (1630)	STC 17604; ESTC S102845	26,914	126

God hath given unto men a measure of good things and hath tempered their gifts with many other defects it is easie to see that they are both indebted to God for that which they have and stand in neede of his dayly favour for supplying of that which they want And consequently this different disposing of Gods gifts may teach us both to think humbly of our selves and thankfully of God 3 A third reason may be because God would give men occasiō of mutuall love charity each to other For if one man had all things hee would neither have neede to receive helpe from others not care to doe good unto thē of whom he had no neede But now that one man hath one abilitie and another man another abilitie and no man hath all nor any man nothing men are hereby made fit both to do good to others and to receive good from them back againe This the Apostle observed in the parts of mans body that the eye cannot say to the hand I have no need of thee nor the head to the feet I have no neede of you but that God hath so tempered the bodie together that there should be noschisme in the body but that the members should have the same care one for another 1. Cor. 12.21 24 25. And so we see it is for the eye seeth not for it selfe onely but for the whole body and the eare heareth not for it selfe but for all the other members and so the stomack doth concoct meate and the liver makes blood and the heart engenders spirits and the feet move themselves and each one doth his proper office not for his owne use but for the use of all the other parts and by this meanes every one enioyeth all the perfections that all the rest have And so it is in the civill bodie The King enacteth Laws constituteth Iudges mustereth souldiours it is not for his owne safetie onely but for the safetie of the whole Realme without whose welfare he could not long enioy his Crowne And so the Preacher studieth the Scriptures not onely to enforme himselfe but to instruct others and the Counsellor studieth the Law not onely that hee may plead for himselfe but more especially for his Clients and the Shoomaker maketh shooes the Tailorgarments and each artificer the worke of his calling that when they have done their worke they may disperse their own commodities abroad and by the sale of them supplie themselves with the commodities of other Trades wherein they have no skill And hereby it appeareth that there is great reason and much wisdome to be seene in this varietie and difference of Gods gifts it remaineth now onely that we make a right vse of it And it may serve us for two uses 1 We may learne contentation with our owne place and gifts and 2 We should set a due valuation of the gifts bestowed on other men without grudging or repining Vse 1 I. We should hēce learne to be contented with that place in which God hath set us with those gifts which God hath bestowed upon us For if God have disposed his gifts in different manner for such good and important reasons and more especially in such provident sort as is most for our owne advantage then wee have great cause to let God alone with his owne both wise and gratious dealing This lesson is most applicable to Murmurers and impatient people such as are discontented with their own lot grumble at the welfare of others Such were those Laborers in the Gospel who having received their full paie yet murmured against the Master of the house Mat. 20.11 because he had given as much to them that wrought hut one houre as he had done to themselves who as they say had borne the burden and heate of the day And such are they in our daies who grudge to see their equalls preferred thēselves sit still where they were or to see their neighbors thrive in wealth and themselves to goe slowly forward or to see others respected abroad when themselves are passed by and neglected And not unlike to these are they also who grudge against God because their places are meane and their maintenance too small for men of such parts and abilities Such men for stilling of their querulous natures should consider these three things 1 That they have no right to that which they do so greedily desire For all things are Gods and he may dispose them at his pleasure The earth is the Lords and the fulnesse thereof Psal 24.1 Every beast of the forest is his and the cattell that be upon a thousand hills Psal 50.10 The silver is mine and the gold is mine saith the Lord of hosts Hagg. 2.8 And thine saith David O Lord is the greatnesse and the power and the glorie and the victorie and the Maiestie for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is thine thine is the kingdome O Lord and thou art exalted as head above all 1 Chron. 29.11 And if all be Gods why doth man laie claime to any thing as his due Or if nothing be due to him why should hee grudge for want of that whereto he hath no right Sure it was a reasonable speech of the good-man of the house when he answered the grumbling Labourer Is it not lawfull for me to doe what I will with mine owne Mat. 20.15 And so if any of us shall murmure because others are advanced to offices when we sit still in our place below God may answer us with the like reason Is it not lawfull for mee to doe what I will with mine owne preferments And if any grumble because others grow rich when themselves remaine poore God may answer them It is not lawfull for me to doe what I will with mine owne riches And if againe they shall grudge because others are esteemed and themselves are neglected hee may answer Is it not lawfull for me to doe what I will with mine own honours And finally if our present state content us not but that wee grumble for more then God hath thought good to give he may still reply and the answer is full of equitie and reason Freind I do thee no wrong may not I doe what I will with mine owne And sure every man would thinke him a proud presumptuous Begger that should prescribe to his Benefactor what and how much hee should bestow upon him And therefore if any should grudge because he hath no more God may challenge him as an Incrocker upon his right 2 Malecontents should consider that the things which they have how small so ever they seeme are the free gifts of Gods mercy the least whereof themselves did no way deserve and for everie one of them they owe praises and thankesgiving For what hast thou saith the Apostle that thou hast not received 1 Cor. 4.7 and David when hee and his people had given liberally to the building of Gods house All things saith he come of thee O

abilitie .i. He giueth such and so much as hee seeth everyman is fit to make use of for Gods glory and the common good Both proportions are iust and right and both of them should bee ioyned together in this sort God bestoweth his gifts vpon men in a different kinde and measure even according as himselfe pleaseth and so hee pleaseth to bestow them as hee seeth men are able to use them for the good of his Church and the glory of his name These briefely bee the proofes by which it appeareth that as the Apostle saith of Starres in heaven though all be glorious in their kind yet that one starre differeth from an other starre in glorie 1 Cor. 15.41 so we may say of the Saints upō earth that though all of them be holy and righteous yet one differeth from another in graces and goodnesse And so much for proofe and declaration of the first point 2 The second is Obs 2 that the same man is not alike gifted with all good things For confirmation hereof I. Proofe 1 My first proofe shall bee from the Text of the Apostle 1 Cor. 12.4 c. There are diversities of gifts but the same Spirit and there are differences of administrations c. and vers 8. 9. c. To one is given the word of wisedome to another the word of knowledge c. and verse 17. If the whole body were an eye where were the hearing If the whole were hearing where were the smelling and verse 29. Are all Apostles are all Prophets c. In these words the Apostle doth at large set downe the point in hand but more particularly we may note that hee declareth it three wayes 1 Affirmatively when he saith There are diversities c. 2 Negatively when hee saith Are all Apostles c 3 By way of comparison or similitude when hee saith * Vers 12. For as the body is one and hath many members c. and If the whole body were an eye where were the hearing c. which is as if hee should say It is in the mysticall Body of Christ as it is in the naturall bodie of a man In the naturall bodie there are many members and euery member hath its seuerall office differing and distinct from other for the eye hath the faculty of seeing but not of hearing or smelling and the eare hath the faculty of hearing but not of seeing or speaking and the nose hath the faculty of smelling but not of seeing or hearing or tasting c. And so in the body mysticall the offices of men are different one is a Minister another is a Magistrate another is a Merchant another a Tradesman c. 2 Their intellectuall gifts are different one hath a good wit but not so good a iudgment another hath a sound iudgement but not so ready a wit and a third hath wit and iudgement but wanteth memory and utterance And lastly their graces of sanctification are different one is more zealous another is more setled a third is more undainted a fourth is more freehearted c. and every where we may see that verified which the Apostle hath said Every man hath his proper gift of God one after this maner and another after that 1 Cor. 7.7 II. A second proofe may bee from experience and examples of all ages In Scriptures wee finde that Rachel was faire but not fruitfull and that Leah was fruitful but not faire Genes 29.17 31. And so Moses was prudent but not eloquent Exod. 4.10.16 And Solomon was wise but not chast 1 King 3.12 11.1 Againe Nabal was a rich man but hee was a foole 1 Sam. 25.2 25. Iephtah was a man of valour but hee was a bastard Iudg. 11.1 and Naaman was a great and an honourable man but hee was a Leper 2 King 5.1 And in our dayes wee see some are rich but foolish and some are wise but unfortunate and some are wittie but unsetled and some have one gift some another but no one man hath all These be the proofes the point will yet be more plaine and more fit for use and application if we consider the reasons why God hath thus disposed of his gifts And they bee these and such like Reason 1. One reason why God doth thus differently distribute his gifts may be because he would shew himselfe as a free Doner so a wise Disposer of all things For if one man should have all abilities others few or none of any worth or if all men should have the highest and best places and the other gifts should lie undisposed of the world might seeme to bee guided either by blinde fortune or fatall necessitie but providence and wisdome in fitting all things one for an others use there could none be seen For as the Apostle saith If the whole bodie were an eye where were the hearing and if the whole were hearing where were the smelling so if all the commonwealth were Kings where were the kingdome to be gouerned by them and if the whole Church were Bishops where were the Pastors or where the flock that should bee fed by them and if all Citizens were Aldermen where were the Common̄ers and if every freeman were a Merchant where were the shop-keeper and the Shoomaker and the Taylor and the Water-bearer and the Seavenger For there is not the meanest and most despicable of all these but hath his necessarie use so that the greatest or the wealthiest Potentate cannot tell how to be without them But now that men have their love all offices and their sever all abilities by which they are fitted each for anothers service and all for the beautie benefit of the whole frame it is a plaine argument that the hand of Divine providence had the disposing of these things and that God it was who hath thus Divided to every man severally as he will as the Apostle speaketh 1 Cor. 12.11 Reason 2. A second reason may be because God would have men to take notice both of their gifts and of their defects that by the one they might learne humilitie and by the other thankfulnesse For if any man had all good parts he would bee too proud of his perfection And as Nebuchadnezzar when he was become strong and his greatnesse reached unto heaven and his Dominion to the end of the earth then hee exalted himselfe against God as if all his greatnes had beene of his owne procuring Is not this saith he great Babylon that I have built for the house of the kingdome by the might of my power and for the honour of my Maiestie Dan. 4.22.30 and 5.18 19 so if any of us had all or the most abilities we would presently conceit that we had no great need of any further helpe and that we needed not to pray for supply of Gods favour who had so much of our owne already Againe if any man were destitute of all Gods Mercies among his neighbors he would want matter to blesse God for But now that