Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A63269
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Of the causes and cure of sad disconsolate thoughts in Christians. By one of their sympathizing fellow-members, W. Traughton
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Troughton, William, 1614?-1677?; J. D., engraver.
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1677
(1677)
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Wing T2317; ESTC R219353
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23,660
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96
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The Day before he dyed he called for the holy Bible with these very words Come O come Death approacheth let us gather some Flowers to comfort in this Hour And turning with his own Hands to the Eight Chapter of the Epistle to the Romans he gave me the Book saith Mr. Leigh who relates these Passages in a printed Book and bade me Read At the end of every Verse he made a Selah or Pause and gave the Sense in such sort and feeling as we perceived was much to his own Comfort but more to our Joy and Wonder Having thus continued his Meditation and Exposition for the space of two Hours or more on the suddain he said O stay your reading What Brightness is this I see Have ye light up any Candles To which it was Answered No It is the Sun-Shine For it was about five a Clock in a clear Summer's-Evening Sun-shine saith he nay my Saviour's Shine Now farewell World welcome Heaven The Day Starr from on high hath visited mine Heart O speak it when I am gone and Preach it at my Funeral That God dealeth familiarly with Man I feel his Mercy I see his Majesty whether in the Body or out of the Body I cannot tell God He knoweth But I see Things that are unutterable And raising himself as Jacob did upon his Staff he shut up his blessed Life with these blessed words O What a happy Change shall I make from Night to Day from Darkness to Light from Death to Life from Sorrow to Solace from a factious World to a Heavenly Being O my dear Bretheren Sisters and Friends it pittieth me to leave you behind yet Remember my Death when I am gone And what I now feel I hope you shall find ere you dye That God doth and will deal familiarly with Men. And now thou fiery Chariot that came down to fetch up Eliah carry me to my happy Hold And all ye blessed Angels who attended the Soul of Lazarus to bring it up to Heaven bear me O bear me into the Bosom of my best Beloved Amen Amen Come Lord Jesus come quickly And so he fell asleep O therefore Enrich thy Soul with those Hevenly Treasures and fill thy Heart with those blessed Truths and Divine Mysteries that are contained in the Scriptures as the Saints whom I have mentioned and many thousands more have done in their great Straits and Temptations Acknowledge the Goodness of God and magnifie the Riches of his Grace towards poor Sinners Many and wonderful O Lord my God are Thy Thoughts to us-ward they are more than can be numbered Psal 40.5 And again How pretious are thy Thoughts unto me O God How great is the Sum of them Psal 139.17 Now that thou may'st have a right and spiritual understanding of the Holy Scriptures whilst thou readest them for the benefit and comfort of thy sad disconsolate soul First Beg Wisdom of the only VVise God who gives liberally and upbraideth not Jam. 1.5 that by God's VVisdom thou mayest know God's Mind and discern the true sence and meaning of the Scriptures by the Assistance of the Divine Spirit which Indited the same What the VVoman said of Jacob's-Well may be truly affiâ—med of the Scriptures Thou hast nothing to draw with and the VVell is deep John 4.11 Scripture mysteries are profound and our Capacities but shallow desire the Lord therefore to anoynt thine eyes with Eye-salve that thou mayest see and to open thine Understanding that thou may'st rightly and spiritually understand the Scriptures Rev. 3.18 Psal 119.18 Luk. 24.45 Luther professed that he got more Understanding by Prayer than by all his Study besides Secondly Labour for a truly gracious Spirit which being once attain'd thou wilt be able to penetrate into the inward Marrow and mystery of the Holy Scriptures He will best comprehend the true sence of Scripture in his head that hath it written and impress'd upon his heart Thou wilt never as one truly observes understand Paul's meaning unless thou art endued with Paul's spirit The Secret of God is with them that fear him and he will shew them his Covenant Psal 25.12 14. And Christ in the Gospel will manifest himself to them that Love him and such shall know the mind of the Lord Joh. 14.21 22 23. Thirdly Come to the reading and perusing of the Scriptures with an humble self-denying frame of heart and be not puffed up with a vain Conceit of thine own knowledge and attainments He that thinks he knowes any thing knowes nothing yet as he ought to know 1 Cor. 8.2 Empty Vessels are most receptive and so are self-emptied Christians It 's a great help to Knowledg not to be ignorant of our Ignorance * Deo meo gratias ago quod Ignorantiam meam non ignoro The fruitful showers quickly glide away from the lofty Hills But they stay and smoke in the Low-Valleys God who resists the Proud gives Grace and Spiritual Knowledge to the humble With the Lowly is true Wisdom Prov. 11.2 And the Meek and Humble he will teach his Way Psal 25.9 Math. 11.25 Fourthly Observe and eye Christ and Salvation by him as the very Scope Marrow and Substance of the whole Scriptures What are the Scriptures but as it were the Spiritual swadling-Cloaths of the Holy Child Jesus He is the Truth and Substance of all the Types and Shaddows He is the Matter and Quintescence of the Covenant of Grace under all the Administrations thereof The Center of all the Promises In whom they are yea and Amen 2 Cor. 1.20 The Thing signifyed sealed and exhibited in all the Sacraments of the Old and New-Testament The holy Scripture What is it else but Christ's Light whereby we come to know him Christ's Voyce whereby we hear and follow Him and Christ's Cords of Love whereby we are drawn into sweet Union and Fellowship with Him But to Conclude Suppose thou should'st have Breach upon Breach and still remain a sad pensive Soul all thy Dayes here in this Life without any Spiritual Comfort or Inlargment after all thy Wrestlings and Endeavours it may be for twenty thirty or forty Years yet What is this to Eternity What if it were for a hundred Years so thou com'st to Heaven at last and escap'st those Everlasting Torments which are prepared for the Wicked Ye shall weep and lament saith Christ to his Disciples Joh. 16.20 but the World shall rejoyce Yea but your Sorrow shall be turn'd into Joy and the World 's Rejoycing into Sorrow and Lamentation Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be Comforted Math. 5.4 The Lord supports his People by the secret powerful Influence of his Grace whil'st they walk in darkness and want the Light of Spiritual Consolation And here let us consider these four things 1. God doth never totally desert his Saints The Lord will not forsake his People for his great Name 's sake 1 Sam. 12.22 He hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee Heb. 13.5 The Words are Emphatical Here
I shewed it and he attended further than I read I not knowing what followed But it followed Him that is weak in the Faith receive ye Rom. 14.1 which he applyed to himself and opened unto me But by this Admonition he was Confirmed and without all turbulent delay was conjoyned in a good Pleasure and purpose most congruous to his Manners wherein he long ago excelled me Thereupon we go in to my Mother tell her She rejoyceth We declare how it was done She exults and Tryumphs and blesseth Thee who art able to do above All that we are to ask or think Because she saw that thou hadst granted her far more concerning me than she was wont with her miserable and lamentable Groans to ask of Thee Thus far Augustine Who would not now delight to read and understand the Divine Scriptures whereby Augustine and Alipius were thus Converted and Comforted Mr. Fox in his Acts and Monuments tells us That Mr. Bilney the blessed Martyr having been long under great Doubts and Fears in his Soul whil'st he adhered to the Popish Doctrines at length opening the New-Testament he light on that Text 1 Tim. 1.15 This is a faithful Saying and worthy of all acceptation That Christ Jesus came into the World to save Sinners of whom I am chief which God so blessed to him that thereby his doubts and Fears were dispell'd and he received much spiritual Peace and Comfort in the Assurance of the love of God from this free promise of Grace Bishop Latimer that Godly Martyr standing at the Stake ready to shed his blood for the Truth lifting up his Eyes to Heaven with an amiable and chearful Countenance comforted himself with that Scripture Faithful is God who will not suffer us to be tempted above what we are able 1 Cor. 10.13 Alice Benden Martyr being kept in Prison nine weeks with Bread and Water and Sequestered from her Companions was in great heaviness and Soul distress till on a Night as she was in her sorrowful Supplications rehearsing those words Why art thou cast down O my Soul c. And again The Right Hand of the most High can change all this she received much comfort Mr. Midgeley Minister at Ratchdale in Yorkshire oppressed with melancholly thoughts and temptations to Self-murther and going down to the Water-side to Drown himself having the New-Testament in his Pocket it came into his thoughts before he flung himself in to read a little in his Testament and opening the same he happily cast his Eye upon that precious word of Grace Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you Rest Matth. 11.28 29. Whereupon this poor tempted Soul was much revived and broke forth into these words Say'st thou so then I will not down my self 'T is well observed by a Godly Writer that we had better want Meat Drink the light of the Sun Aire Earth and all the Elements yea Life it self than that one sweet Sentence of our Saviour Come unto me c. Mrs. Katherine Brettergh who was wont to task her self to the reading at least eight Chapters of Scripture every day in her Sickness before her Death * Vid. Mr. Will. Leigh's Souls-Solace against sorrow she fell into great distress and anguish of Spirit sometimes she would cast her Bible from her and say it was indeed the Book of Life but she had read the same unprofitably and therefore feared it was become to her the Book of Death Sometimes she would say her sins had made her a prey to Satan a spectacle to the World a disgrace to Religion and a shame to her Husband Kindred and all true Christians And here she would weep most bitterly she wished she had never been Born or that she had been any other Creature rather than a Woman She would often cry out Woe Woe Woe c. a weak a woful a wretched a forsaken Woman and utter such like pittiful Complaints against her self with Tears continually trickling down her Cheeks But at last before her death she was raised up to unspeakable joys and comforts by applying Scripture-promises Oh said she my soul hath been compassed about with terrors of Death fear within and fear without the sorrows of Hell were upon me and a roaring Wilderness of Woe was within me which she repeated again and again But Blessed Blessed Blessed be the Lord my God who hath not left me Comfortless One time she took her Bible in her hand and looking up towards Heaven she said O Lord it is good for me that I have been Afflicted that I might learn thy Statutes the Word of the Lord is better to me than thousands of Gold and Silver She desired her Husband to read some part of Scripture to her he read that excellent Chapter John 17. and as he read v. 9. she interrupted him saying O Lord Jesus dost thou indeed pray for me O Blessed and Sweet Saviour how wonderful how wonderful how wonderful are thy Mercies When he came to v. 24. Father I will that they whom thou hast given me c. Stay said she and let me meditate on the goodness of the Lord for now I perceive and feel the Countenance of Christ my Redeemer is turned towards me and the bright shining Beams of his Mercy are spread over me Oh happy am I that ever I was Born to see this Blessed day Praise praise Oh praise the Lord for his Mercies for He hath brought me out of darkness and the shadow of death O my sweet Saviour shall I be one with thee as thou art one with thy Father and wilt thou Glorifie me with that Glory which thou had'st with the Father before the World was And dost thou so love me that am but Dust and Ashes as to make me partaker of Glory with Christ What am I poor Wretch that thou art so mindful of me Oh how wonderful how wonderful how wonderful is thy Love To a Christian Friend that came to see her wondering at her joys she said O the joys the joys the joys that I feel in my soul they be wonderful they be wonderful they be wonderful Thus she was ravished in Spirit and tryumphed in the praises of God At last with a sweet Countenance and still Voyce she said My Warfare is accomplished and mine Iniquities are pardoned Lord whom have I in Heaven but thee And I have none on Earth but thee My Flesh faileth and my Heart also but God is the strength of mine Heart and my Portion for ever He that preserveth Jacob and defendeth his Israel he is my God and will guide me unto Death Guide me O Lord my God and suffer me not to faint but keep my soul in safety and with that she presently fell asleep in the Lord. Mr. John Holland an eminent Saint and Preacher of the Gospel did wonderfully raise and comfort himself with the holy Scriptures even in the Valley of the Shaddow of Death his Heart was replenished with Heavenly Thoughts and Delights