Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heart_n	worthy_a	write_v	zeal_n	13	3	7.2554	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

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

of the mouth that first spake them Psal 27.14 And say in faith as you may in his own language Psal 138.8 It is to me a great sign of what the Lord hath done for you that you are so willing to part with your I know dear Husband for the Lords sake and his works sake but He is and It is worthy Think still it is to the Lord and should a Husband be between a gracious heart and Christ our Lord God forbid we should think so who have had already in hand for every step word and thought for him from him more weight and worth than a wedge of Ophirs Gold besides those thousands of years in glory that are yet in reversion and wherein I cannot thank you or him my Lord shall my Lord shall my Lord shall else his word failes and I le complain Heb. 6.18 2 Chron. 25.9 After two years spent at Ashburne he sayes he saw nothing to contradict his resolutions to part from them and that the Lord cut out work for him elsewherere judging his reasons sufficient for removal he proceeds I was called thence to Atherston in Warwickshhire where I spent one year in a Lecturers place and the Lord did abundantly crown my poor pains on a sudden with conversion-work which made me say Cant. 6.12 Or ever I was aware my soule made me like the Chariots of Amminadib But I saw not the Lords mind and will to continue me there in which I saw the Lords hand and for the time was content for I wanted nothing having a Seabridge-home for supply And I had my hearts desire in opportunities to extend my labours to Staffordshire and otherwise some Lords-dayes and many week-dayes no one gainsaying which I saw was for the destruction of the Devils work and an aking-tooth he carried against me but two things stay'd my thoughts in my travels from place to place and house to house My Saviours leading the way Acts 10.38 And this The more the Devil hates me the more my God loves me This year was his time to have Commenced Mr. in Arts which he inclined to doe chiefly to give testimony of his respect to Learning and the Schools thereof in a time when too many were bent against them but his Estate being enough to make him a Compounder whereby some extraordinary charges would be expected from him more than he could well spare he sate down with this consideration that he thought he might lay out that money more to the Honour of the Gospel than to part with it for the Honour of a Degree though the single charge he could willingly have born upon the other account His removal thence to Astbury he thus records himself I was ordered and called to Astbury in Cheshire about Novem. 17. 1652. but exprest not my full consent until the Spring following Then I left Atherston About this time his Father dyed of which he saith thus He dyed on March 12. 1652. being the Sabbath day about ten of the clock at night about the 55th year of his Age with these words in his mouth Psal 39.5 Behold thou hast made my days as an hand breadth and mine age is as nothing before thee Verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity And said to his Mother and Sisters standing by weeping why do you so you have a God that will be better than ten thousand Husbands and Fathers He wisely observed when such an unthought of loss befel him how he was imployed at that instant saying At the time he dyed I was at prayer and that with the most remarkable impressions that I ever had both in pleading for mercy for him and on a sudden submitted to the Lords determination Many observable warnings he had from the Lord of this Event before it came to pass His serious and solemn exposition and application of Job 21.23 24. in the Family before any sickness appeared March 9.2 His earnestness to know his Fathers Soul-estate before they parted the next morning and also to thank his love and care in his behalfe and to understand his mind and will concerning himself and outward estate while he yet continued in perfect health 3. The day following having occasion to send home he recommended by the messenger that Scripture Isa 38.1 2 3. to his Father These with several other notable passages and pious improvements he made hereof gave him hope that this sad providence was in love to him and in mercy to his Father whom he could not reach to see in the land of the living Not long after he removed to Astbury and changed his condition whereof he saith thus himself The good hand of my everliving Father so disposing I had some Christian acquaintance in Darbyshire especially I observed one forward in the Profession at Mickleover neer Darby who might be to me as Rebecca to Isaac by name Jane Butler Daughter to John Butler on whom my thoughts much setled with submission to my heavenly Fathers will and she became my Wife Sept. 29. 1653. at Vttoxeter whom God gave to me and with her what I expected in an humble and gracious woman Prov. 31.11 12. 29.30 31. her price was above Rubies her Portion of outward Estate very considerable His managing that affaire was in such an holy and heavenly manner that all their meetings on that account were improveed to the utmost advantage of both their soules and their very marriage fixt on one of his Lecture-dayes where two of his Brethren preached and joyn'd in the Solemnization thereof and after two dayes stay with his Wife went a long journey to the work of the Lord for many dayes following whereby he made it evident how much the greatest worldly comforts were made subordinate to the joy of the Lord and wore so far from hindring that they rather inlarged and fitted him up in the wayes of God His first contrivance of a Lecture was some moneths before his Fathers death and no sooner was the Estate his own but he resolves a share of it for God and will not serve the Lord with that which costs him nothing Take his intentions in his own words out of his own papers thus I intend a monethly Lecture to be preached at these following towns of greatest concourse viZ. Newcastle Leeke Vttoxeter Lichfield Tamworth Walsall Wolverhampton Penkridge Stafford Eccleshall Stone Muckleston in the County of Stafford the last Friday in each month allowing of the Lords fulness in my hands thirteen shillings and four pence to the Ministers that preach to convert soules and one Shilling to be given to twelve of the poorest people in the Church In all Eight pounds and twelve shillings in the year This was the resolution of an heart ingaged to him one that would honour the Lord with his Substance is J.M. July 31. 1652. And presently after his Fathers Burial he wrote this following Paper about this thing I believed the Lord could give more dayes but yet do will that 8 l.