Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heart_n	act_n	soul_n	spirit_n	2,370	5	4.9507	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A70718	A faithful narrative of the life and death of that holy and laborious preacher Mr. John Machin late of Astbury in the county of Chester. With a præfatory epistle thereunto; written by that excellent person Sir Charles Wolseley Baronet. Published for the furtherance of real piety in ministers and others.	Newcome, Henry, 1627-1695.; Wolseley, Charles, Sir, 1630?-1714.	1671 (1671)	Wing N896; ESTC R30742	27,053	108

I know not but its motion was directly towards his face coming up the steps in the Garden-walk and the visible means of prevention in Gods hand was another stone that turn'd it out of the Path-way within a few steps of him This was an awakening Providence to me and my Wife that day and sent us to our God on our knees partly for Humiliation partly for Gratulation And this stone he kept in his Study and without Superstition made it his remembrancer to continue his thankfulness to God for this great Deliverance And O that Parents would in this sort transmit to their Children an account of Gods dealings with them when they knew him not what obligations would it lay upon them to love and serve the Lord when grown to age and understanding That the Generation to come might know them even the Children that should be born who should arise and declare them to their Children That they might set their hope in God and not forget the works of God but keep his Commandements Psal 78.6 7. Of his second Child he thus saith My Daughter Lydia so called for that good womans sake Acts 16.14 was born at Astbury March 29. 1656. and there baptized Apr. 6. c. My second Son John was born Sept. 1. 1658. about six in the morning at which time Mr. R.M. a dear Brother and Fellow-labourer and J might be at Prayer for my wife as I understood at my return And he was no less a Son of Prayers The Lord make him a Son of his blessings taking him with the rest into that Everlasting Covenant Jerem. 32.40 John was baptized at Astbury Sept. 12. when I gave him this name John and prayed The Lord be gracious to him Our second Daughter Sarah was born Octob. 8. 1660. and I baptized her at Astbury Octob. 23. by the token of that word then and there Joh. 3.5 c. When this Winter was past this Holy man removed to Whitley May 17. 1661. of whose success there he himself gives this account After some time I found that God was with me in Ordinances to make Conversion work and in Providences to prevent evils and to reach good things to us Let it be remembred to his praise that Octob. 23. 1661. my Son John was within a step of drowning and Providence ordered me within fight at that time though I had been from home the fortnight before And not an hour after my Daughter Sarah was almost choaked with a thread to our great affrightment but we saw the Lords hand very notable in her preservation as we had done the Spring before from sickness in answer to Prayers Psal 103.4 Another merciful preservation of his Son John he subjoyns in these words Memorandum That our Son John had a notable escape and preservation from drowning as he and his Brother were coming from School Jun. 18. 1664. but blessed be God who is present when Parents are absent Here he continued labouring in the Lords Vineyard unto Aug. 24. 1662. at which time he took his Civil Death with many of his Brethren being unsatisfied to Conform as the Act of Uniformity then required But no man took his Death with less reflection upon Superiours or more grief for that affliction But yet there he continued labouring for the peoples advantage with all his strength and was a singular blessing to the Neighbourhood round about having his heart uncessantly bent towards the good of Souls And the Neighbouring Gentry though of a different Perswasion yet offered him not the least molestation in his honest indeavours as being convinced of the Innocence and Peaceableness of his Spirit and uprightness of his ends therein After this his youngest Child was born which he thus records My Daughter Esther was born Jan. 28. 1663. and baptized at Whitley Jan. 31. and called Esther because hidden Hidden as to Conception until time of life and hid as to the time of Travel It was then prayed Lord give her the hid treasure of his fear Isa 33.6 and make her a hid treasure to his house and ours also And having thus made use of these his Memorials we shall add what himself said of the writing of them in these words The occasion of making and writing this Book was a thought I had what was become of all my Fore-fathers and what price I should set upon one of their Manuscripts concerning the State of our Family Nation or Church of God in it 500 years since Whereupon I resolved this Work for my Sons sake and Posterities imitation when it may be said of us in this Generation as of Israel once in that Exod. 1.6 And Joseph dyed and all his Brethren and all that Generation I John Machin called by him who separated me from the Womb Gal. 1.15 to the hope of having my name in the Book of Life and likewise to be an Embassador of my Lord Christ Jesus was in my great Masters work at Astbury in Cheshire Anno 1655. when I first set Pen hereunto And so he continued it observing things remarkable towards him and his Family to the last year of his life which we have made use of in divers places of this Narrative And now having brought him within the view of his Fathers house before we give an account of the last part wherein he took possession of his expected Crown we shall give you his just Character 1. In his Personal 2. his Relative Capacity I. In himself 1 he was of an excellent Spirit in the sense of Pro. 17.27 as dispassionate as most we ever knew One that lived with him for some time sayes truly of him That he knew not that ever he saw him transported with passion but angry he would be at Sin yet still exactly after his Lord and Masters passion being grieved for the hardness of their hearts Mark 3.5 yet his Reproofs were alwayes so moderated with Love and Compassion that the Offendor could not but see that he intended them for his good 2. He had good natural Parts and was no Novice in all that learning which was necessary for his work For though he was more abundant in publick Preaching than most others which must needs hinder his Studies yet what time of vacancy he had from this work he diligently redeemed for his Book and took in Philosophy the Tongues History Positive and Practical Divinity in his course of Study being never well unless in Study or in immediate Duties or holy Conference though as it was once said of Plato's Houshold-stuff it was truly said of all his Studies There was nihil in pompam omne in usum And like one of the Architects in Plutarch who when the other had made an artificial discourse of his skill to contrive a new building before those that were to make their choice of them He only said All that this man hath said I can do So this Holy Man had the Knowledge of Doing what others could learnedly Dispute and Discourse of he could learnedly live in

every point that became a Learned Preacher 3. He had an extraordinary measure of Holiness and Heavenliness according to the Observation that a Judicious Divine long since made of him That he had more than ordinary degrees of Sanctification He was of a quick understanding in the fear of the Lord and had the tongue of the learned to speak a word in season to the state of all Souls This was his Master-piece and was naturalized to him He had a singular ingenuity in improving Scripture Similitudes and every Occurrence with unimaginable dexterity each Tree and Bird and Stone would be a Text whereon he would aptly inlarge having a mighty wit for the Spiritualizing of every thing and gathering occasion of good Converse in every Company and almost upon every matter and it was apparent That out of the abundance of his heart his mouth spake His holy jealousie and fear of himself was very great A dear friend that well knew him writes thus of him Never man more watchful against Relapses nor more jealous to maintain his first love to the height I have sometimes told him that it was not usual for Converts to retain that Land flood of comfort that intention of zeal and extension of affection which flourished in him and was preserved to the height he must expect an abatement in time and the Current thereof to be contracted and setled in a narrower Channel He often reflected on these words Ore tenus and in his Letters intimating he was what he was heretofore not without an admiration of supporting Grace Thereunto he ascribed all he was And indeed he was so habituated unto Spiritual Communion with his God that he could not patiently bear his withdrawings and was far more sensibly and sooner aware of it than many others are that can to their great loss admit of other delights instead of his face and favour but this Holy Man did most eagerly seek for him upon all occasions till he found Him whom his Soul loved He was a great Observer of the frame and bent of his heart at all times a worthy Minister writes thus of him I have admired at the constant frame of his Spirit he was not subject to that deadness and indisposedness as other good men seem to be his heart was continually burning with an holy zeal Take a tast of his excellent sweet frame of heart in this short Letter-passage to a Friend My dear dear dear Brother I pray thee I pray thee report the loving kindness of the Lord unexpressible unto a poor vile empty altogether undeserving worm for I have found an answer this day this day more than ever to our Prayers and can say the Lords work will on though hell say no and still Believe Preach Pray and Believe Lam. 3.25 I am constrained to say Isa 63.7 Neither thou nor any of my friends can conceive how good the Lord is to me even to me I pray thee and others think and study how good he is to me to me to me And a constant watch he kept over his thoughts especially of his last thoughts that he slept with and his first thoughts that he waked with and usually they were some precious Scripture or other which he would discourse of to his friends with great alacrity He kept a Diary of his Life wherein every day he wrote in Characters where he was what Scriptures he found any sweetness from what was the state of his Soul towards God and such other remarkable passages that did occurr each day from the year 1650. to the year he dyed His love to the Word of God was superlative it was his Meditation day and night He did constantly in a morning pitch upon some Verse which he would endeavour to infuse into his heart ever unwilling to leave it till he had suck'd some virtue from it He was chewing by Meditation the 119th Psalme at the time of his sickness daily squeezing the virtue of one verse thereof into his Soul as appears by his Diary and this he did not formally as a task but with that effectual seriousness and relish that his family at home and friends at a distance in his Letters might perceive exactly what dainties he had tasted And at every vacant time he would be looking for a word and would find out by the casual turning down a leaf in his Bible which was his usual way such passages as were very remarkable and not observed before A Scripture thus met with was as food to him exceeding sweet to his tast he would make much of it and usually would not leave it till he had improved it to the good of others by speaking or writing that others might see what he saw and feel what he felt in the word of God Another usage he had also which shewed him to be both a good Textuary and a good Christian and that was usually to take leave with his Friends and Relations by leaving some Scripture with them and those most suitable to their condition nay he hardly sent commendations to a friend but it was accompanied with some pertinent Scripture that he seemed to breath no other aire but Scripture His Bible was his constant Companion in the day and usually his Pillow at night and many scores of emphatical lively expressions he had found therein which the constant reading and diligence of others could never light on And wherever he came he was engraving some Scripture or other on the Mantle-posts and Walls and Trees which was so constant and peculiar a course with him that his acquaintance oft knew he had been in such a place by the marks he usually left His design therein being the advantage of all mens Souls that the very novelty of seeing such things might set people upon enquiring and looking those those Scriptures in their Bibles not knowing what good one Verse of the Scripture thus met with might do upon a Soul if God set it on At least he found this advantage to himself that when he came to a review of them he was put in mind of that frame of heart he had when he was there before and might tast over again what he had before felt in that passage of the Word of God He seldome wrote a Note or Letter but he made it up with some suitable Scripture the word of God dwelling plentifully in him and in the Memorials forementioned he inserts Scriptures upon every occasion saying in the conclusion The Texts of Scripture herein mention'd are best worth thy finding and noting in thy life as they were in mine His moderation was remarkable to all sorts of godly people though of differing judgements his heart and heat being wholly taken up with the great and necessary parts of Religion that all true Christians agreed in and making the substance of Religion his work and business he never had leisure to trouble himself with controverted circumstances nor would put his Soul out of tune with such things as had caused so much jarring