Selected quad for the lemma: hand_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
hand_n	bring_v	lord_n	right_a	5,328	5	6.9323	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A88994	A shadovv of the victory of Christ, represented to the Honourable House of Commons, in a sermon preached at Margarets Westminster on the day of the publick fast, Octob. 28. 1646. / By John Maynard, Minister of the Gospel at Mayfield in Sussex.	Maynard, John, 1600-1665.	1646 (1646)	Wing M1453; Thomason E359_5; ESTC R201167	22,927	30

were to Cesars Souldiers he slighteth them all in all these {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} we do more than conquer through him that loved us it may seem more proper to have said through the Almighty power of Christ our Captain But he chuseth the sweet attribute of love shewing that it is a speciall act of his love that he leadeth on his followers to such conflicts intending to make them happy gainers more than conquerours I beleeve so many would turn Souldiers that we should want hands for other imployments if they could be assured of two things First to be entirely beloved of their Commander as his own right arm Secondly that they should return with safety and victory This is the happinesse of all the servants and souldiers of Christ He loveth them tenderly as the members of his own body as the apple of his own eye He will bring them off more than conquerours Secondly He delivereth all his faithfull servants from all those cruell task-masters to which they were enslaved Sin shall not have dominion over you for ye are under grace Oh what an happinesse is it to be freed from so many tyrannicall monsters to have the strength of pride covetousnesse lust sensuality broken This should wonderfully provoke us fully to yeeld up our spirits in subjection to Christ Blessed is the Soul that maketh such a change that is freed from the slavery of sin and Satan carrying it on to destruction and is now governed and led by Christ in the way of salvation 3. He pitieth them in regard of the infirmities accompanying them in his services for which themselves mourn against which they strive and graciously spareth them as a Father spareth his son that serveth him 4. Yea He helpeth their infirmities cometh in upon them by his Spirit when the work is too heavy for them is a co-worker with them easeth their yoke and delighteth to manifest his power in their weaknesse 5. The happinesse of his subjects and servants appeareth in their reward that is 1. Sure 2. Incomparable 1. Sure Verily there is a reward for the righteous The wicked worketh a deceitfull work that is a self-deceiving work as the opposite member sheweth he that hath to do with sin dealeth with a cheater which promiseth gain pleasure satisfaction but meerly deceiveth him payeth him with shame sorrow miserie but to him that loveth righteousnesse shall be a sure reward righteousnesse and true holinesse is such a kinde of seed as never miscarrieth he that soweth it is sure of a good harvest it is a seed taken out of the granary of heaven it will grow and prosper in any ground Christ saith Behold I come quickly and my reward is with me His reward is ready Those that serve Princes or States most faithfully must wait long for their reward many times though they whom they serve be very desirous to satisfie them because their reward is not alwayes with them not alwayes ready I have fought a good fight saith the Apostle henceforth is laid up for me a crown of righteousnesse c. his Crown was ready for him before he was ready to wear it it was laid up and kept in store for him Secondly the reward is incomparable 1. In the service 2. After it 1. In the service In scelere sceleris supplicium sceleri paena coaetanea Sin carrieth vengeance in it own bowels sin and punishment are contemporary fin it self is a misery holinesse it self is a reward Now being made free from sin and become the servants of God ye have your fruit unto holinesse and the end everlasting life This is a certain truth and the people of God find it by experience that the present reward that goeth along with the work of Christ the sweet refreshings which Christians meet with in the way of holinesse are far above all the pleasures of sin and the best things which the world can bestow upon it lovers That sweet peace of conscience those tastes of heaven those glimpses of glory those beginnings of eternall life are far above all earthly comforts But secondly the reward that is prepared for them after their work is done is more than they are able to desire or conceive Saith Moses I beseech thee shew me thy glory The Lord telleth him Thou canst not see my face for there shall no man see me and live As if he had said Moses thou askest thou knowest not what the weight of glory which would result from my face is more than thou art able to stand under in this mortall condition That exceeding weight of glory which Christ hath provided for his people is so great so incomparable that they are not capable of it untill they be transformed into the likenesse of Christ it is more happinesse than their hearts can hold in that estate wherein now they are Oh that the Lord would give us hearts to beleeve these things really as they are most sure and reall truths Doth not many a man think if I could get into such a mans service I were a man made This is onely true of the service of Christ thou art more happy if thou hast him for thy Master than if thou hadst all the men on earth for thy servants His service is a greater preferment than the richest Crown under heaven If our hearts were not wretchedly muddy earthly unbeleeving how could we sleep quietly untill we were entertained by Christ in his service Thirdly consider the misery of those that do not yeeld subjection to Him No enemie so dreadfull as Christ to them that stand out against Him Who knoweth the power of thine anger Little do poore souls know the weight of his Almighty arm Those mine enemies which would not that I should reign over them bring hither and slay them before me let me see them executed Kings Rulers people conspire in rebellion against the Lord and against His Christ Let us break their hands asunder and cast away their cords from us Alas poore worms He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh the Lord shall have them in derision Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath and vex them in his sore displeasure That wrath which springeth out of the earth which men of the world can shew seemeth terrible but who is able to endure that wrath which is powred down from Him that sitteth in heaven Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron thou shalt dash them in peices like a potters vessell Then followeth the Use that now we are upon Be wise now therefore O ye Kings be instructed ye Judges of the earth It is the wisdom of Kings and Rulers yea and of all degrees of people to stoop to Him who can and most certainly will subdue all to Himself Serve the Lord with fear and rejoyce with trembling Kisse the Son rest he be angry and ye perish in the way when his wrath is kind●ed but a little A little of

considered in the next place These we may look upon either 1. as single persons or 2. as associated and combined in Societies Kingdoms Common-wealths c. As single persons they are either vessels of mercy and honour or vessels of wrath and dishonour The former He subdueth by the Scepter of His Gospel and power of His grace secretly but effectually and infallibly bowing and subjecting their souls and whole man to the government of His Spirit constraining them by His love shed abroad in their hearts and bringing them under a regiment of love sweetning His commands with discoveries of His love and as it were oyling His yoke with love so making it easie to them and teaching them to obey in love and to walk in love as He hath loved them and given Himself for them giving His own Spirit possession of their hearts and making them one with Himself and so subjecting them to Himself as members to their Head And this He doth by degrees leaving something in them unsubdued while they are absent from Him in the body which as it is displeasing to Him so it is grievous to them but in the end He will not leave any thing in them either of soul or body unsuitable to Himself but will bring them into a full subjection and conformity transforming their bodies into the likenesse of His own glorious body and their souls into the likenesse of His own perfect holinesse fulnesse of joy and blessednesse But although He useth this sweet way of working with them for this blessed end as that which is most direct and proper yet sometimes He prepareth them by terrours putting on the countenance of an enemy and handling them roughly as Joseph did his Brethren dealing with them in his approaches toward them as with the Prophet El●j●h sending before him a great and strong wind renting the mountains and breaking in peeces the rocks and after the winde an earthquake and after the earthquake a fire dreadfull representations of His wrath and convictions of their guilt but after cometh the still soft voice the Word of promise and reconciliation a word of peace and pardon Yea when they are in some degree subdued to Him He doth sometime suffer them to be exercised with renewed terrours on their spirits and outward afflictions to be troubled on every side with fightings without and fears within to prepare them for farther subjection and conformity to Himself The workings of Christ in this kinde have been more glorious and conspicuous in some ages than in others as in the times of the Apostles and the ages next after when thousands were subdued at once Cities and Nations were brought in subjection to Christ the devill raged and stirred up his instruments to oppose the growth of Christ His kingdom with fire and sword Nec eò minùs ad Apostolorum vocem gentes commoventur principum aulae legionesque adeo ipsae in Christi partes propendent nutant as one saith the world is stirred notwithstanding at the summons of Christ His Ambassadours and the Courts of Princes and the legions of military men are ready to yeeld and bow their ensignes to the Majesty of the Lord Jesus What a cordiall was that which the Apostle sent to these beleevers at Philippi All the Saints salute you chiefly those of Cesars houshold A glorious spectacle to see the banner of Christ advanced upon the turrets of Nero his palace So when Luther was raised up to restore the light there was another age wherein Christ was pleased in a more than ordinary manner to shew himself victorious The States of the Empire meeting at Noremberg thought to moderate things according to principles of policie But what saith Luther to this Longè aliter conclusum est in coelo quam Norembergae The conclusion made in Heaven differed much from that at Noremberg as the event demonstrated Certatim enim Principes Civitates Imperii doctrinam repurgatam introduxerunt For the Princes and Imperiall Cities did as it were out-vye each other in a speedie entertainment of the reformed Religion Christ would not wait the leisure of the State But as for the vessels of wrath although he dealeth diversly with them in regard of his intermediate dispensations raising some of them to great dignity arming them with power that so He may make his power known upon them leaving others in a lowe condition and thereby disarming their malice giving some of them Esau his portion the dew of heaven and the fatnesse of the earth suffering them to fat themselves to the day of slaughter and to aggravate their condemnation by unthankfulnesse denying others this worldly abundance and laying upon them many temporall judgements as the beginnings of sorrows whereby their stubbornesse becometh more unexcusable suffering some of them to break forth into more outragious wickednesse circumscribing others within the circle of morality and civility enduring some of them with much long-suffering and patience surprizing others in their sins not suffering them to live out half their dayes bringing some of them under powerfull means of salvation giving them precious opportunities which they despise or neglect shutting others out of the confines of his Church c. yet in the issue he subdueth them all by strong hand breaking them by his power because they stoup not to his authority and as he doth execute exemplary vengeance upon many of them in this life so at the last day He will bring them all under his feet and cast them into utter darknesse where they shall never be able to lift up their heads or hands against Him or his But there is yet another consideration of men and women as they are united or combined in Societies Common-wealths c. Some of these He so far subdueth as to cause them to promote His Cause propagate His Gospel protect His Church as the Kingdom of Israel in the dayes of David and Solomon the Kingdom of Judah in the reign of Jehoshaphat Hezekiah c. the Romane Empire under Constantine Valentinian Theodosius c. Others He so ordereth as to make them suffer his Church to sojourn among them as Aegypt in the dayes of that Pharaoh who knew Joseph the Empire of Rome in the times of Vespasian Titus Nerva Antoninus Pius Pro●us Some of them He hath reduced to more moderation after they began to stretch out their hands to vex certain of the Church as it is said of Trajane Adrian Antoninus Verus and others But as for those whose rage was implacable hath not the Lord Christ set His face against them for evill rebuking Kings and Rulers for His peoples sake saying Touch not mine anointed and do my Prophets no harm destroying Noble and Royall Families subverting Common-wealths and Empires that he might avenge the bloud of his Saints cutting off Nero Domitian and others degrading Dioclesian and his Colleague In such cases somtimes he destroieth some of his enemies by others expelling one poyson by an other

sometime puting a two-edged sword into the hands of his Saints giving them this honour to become victorious instruments of his wrath upon His and their enemies But at the length He will break in peices the iron and the clay the brasse the silver and the gold and make them like the chaffe of the summer threshing fl●ores and the wind shall carry them away and no place shall be found for them He will put down all rule and all authority and power Lastly As for creatures voyd of reason I will not now dispute that question whether after the worlds dissolution the species or severall kind of creatures shall be restored But thus Christ hath already in part subdued and shall in the end bring under all those creatures not endowed with the principles of reason and amongst these the very towns cities buildings wherein he hath been dishonoured Some experience of this the world hath already had in the Eastern Babylon in the City of Jerusalem after that Himself was crucified there his Gospel rejected his people persecuted to what a fearfull desolation did he bring it by the hands of the Romanes and the Temple it self when it was kept up as a Monument of defiance against him for the continuance o those sacrifices which were abolished by his death by a people blaspheming his Name he destroyed it and when that wretched people attempted to rebuild it through the incouragement of Julian the Apostate he fully as is conceived accomplished his prophecy upon it not leaving one stone upon another And at this day how are the expectations of the Saints raised to see the power of Christ put forth in subduing and consuming with fire the Western Babylon the City of Rome in which was found the bloud of Prophets and of Saints and of all that were slain upon the earth In a word as the creatures have been abused or desired by the sins of men to the dishonour of Christ being made either instruments of rebellion against him or corrivals with him the hearts of men being stolen away from him and going a whoring after the creatures so shall all be subdued by his mighty working The old world was subdued by a floud of waters But the heavens and the earth which are now by the same word are kept in store reserved unto fire against the day of Judgement and perdition of ungodly men If any ask why the world standeth so long being planted and peopled with rebels and filled with rebelion against Christ The Apostle telleth us it is kept in store by his word the world would dissolve like water when it is powred on the ground were it not kept in store as in a vessel by the word and will of Christ until the appointed time and then the heavens shall passe away with a great noise and the elements shall melt with fervent heat the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burnt up both the works of God which some call the works of nature and the works of man the works of art and all these things shall be dissolved Neverthelesse saith the Apostle we according to his promise looke for new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousnes If the frame of heaven and earth shal be renewed and so kept pure from all spot of sinne to eternity this may be a farther evidence to the truth in hand that Christ by His mighty working shall subdue all things to himself But what is the last enemy that shall be brought under The Apostle telleth us The last enemy that shal be destroyed is Death Then shal be brought to passe the saying that is written Death is swallowed up in victory And the Apostle seemeth as one ravished with assurance of this victory over death to sing an {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} a song of triumph insulting over this old and last enemy O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory The sting of death is sinne and the strength of sinne is the Law But thanks be unto God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ This is therefore for the comfort of the Church of Christ against all her enemies Their workings plots contrivings attempts have been many and desperate from age to age and particularly in this age in this land and elsewhere and I beleeve the people of God do generally expect they should go on whil'st they have power even untill Antichrist be destroyed The Church is said to be terrible as an Army with banners A learned expositour taking this song for a prophecy of the state of the Church from Solomons time unto the Jews conversion and carrying on his interpretation according to the succession of time took this place to note the condition of the Church from about the beginning of Queen Eliza●eths reign and so downward until the destruction of the Pope and Turk that in these daies the Church which had bin troden under foot in former ages should become formidable to her enemies as an army with banners and thence inferreth that these times should be plenabellicis tumultibus full of the troubles and tumults of war between the Church and her enemies wee have had much experience of this and are likely to have more wheresoever the seat of the war shall be The great battel of Armageddon I am perswaded is yet to come And therefore I expect that the adversaries should exercise the height of their policy and put forth the uttermost of their power finding themselves stoutly assaulted by this Army with banners But here is the comfort of the Church the mighty vertue and working of Christ shall subdue them all It is said that the Lord Christ shall consume that man of sin with the spirit or breath of His mouth and destroy him with the brightnes of His coming Certainly Christ His approaches have been very glorious of late and the Antichristian faction hath been much weakened by Him very much of the power of Christ hath been put forth against those who have sided with the Beast But I am perswaded the time is at hand when Christ shall come in a more glorious manner and give forth more admirable demonstrations of His power in subduing those enemies who have for so long a time opposed and exalted themselves against Him For I conceive we are under the seventh trumpet to which all the seven vials full of the wrath of God to be emptied upon the enemies of the Church do belong and under the fourth viall powred on the Sun Now mark what is said upon the sounding of the seventh trumpet And the seventh Angel sounded and there were great voices in heaven saying The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ and He shall reign for ever and ever Now is the time when Christ shall conquer kingdoms and subdue Nations to Himself to reign over them for ever And the