Selected quad for the lemma: prayer_n
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A60847
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Some remarkable passages in the holy life and death of Gervase Disney, Esq. to which are added several letters and poems.
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Disney, Gervase, 1641-1691.
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1692
(1692)
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Wing S4594; ESTC R33846
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111,400
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321
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'll not dispute A Summons from a Father makes him mute The Stroke's surprizing yet to such as he So well prepar'd it could not sudden be O dreadful Stroke who can compute the Loss That does not first consider what he was One of a thousand Work-man truly great Christian and Pastor ev'ry way compleat A friendly Friend to all but yet most kind To pious Souls yea those of diff'rent Mind To him in lesser things he could it bear When good i' th' main and honestly sincere This gracious Temper in him God had wrought To love his Image where-so-e're he saw 't His Stile thô plain yet lofty Matter such That none that heard him thought they heard too much Startling he was to Sinners but to Saints A Helper always under sad Complaints For Temper gen'rous of a gallant Mind Affable courteous constant truly kind Here 's Loss on all hands with a dreadful But There 's few are left behind can make it up His People's Pastorless and Children they Are mourning for a Father ta'ne away And for the now sad Widow she alone Can fully paint to th' Life her Sorrow 's known If Pray'rs and Tears could have prevail'd I know He had not mounted up but staid below If Means and Med'cines that were on him try'd Would have preserv'd his Life he had not dy'd Physicians were not wanting yet he 's gone At th' Pleasure of the great Physician When God says nay Physick shall give no aid As Saints have done their Work they must be paid Well happy Soul thou now the Gulf hast shot And art where we would fain be but are not Thou' rt got to Heaven and art now above The reach of any Mortal's tendrest Love Above the Malice and the Rage of those Who for thy Goodness-sake were here thy Foes Out of the reach of Tears and Pray'rs and Cry In better Place with better Company Yet for the sake of those who do survive Take following Counsels from his Friend alive Couns 1. Remember who has snatch'd your Earthly Treasure 'T is God who may do this and more at 's pleasure 'T is He who has undoubted right to seize And take your Comforts when and how he please He who first lent does now but take the same Learn you to bless and praise his Holy Name God now has done his Will has for him sent Do you your Duty learn to be content This silenc'd Aaron that he nothing spoke Though two of 's Sons were taken at a stroke 'T was this made Eli chearfully submit To that Affliction which the Lord thought fit To bring on 's House to say without repine Let th' Lord do what he please with me and mine Couns 2. Nay further think your Serrow to restrain Your present Loss turns to his lasting Gain It 's time to go when God the Summons sends To call from Friends below to better Friends His Company to us was pleasant here But he is now with those to him more dear Solacing in the midst of Joy and Pleasure Possessing satisfying lasting Treasure The Glory 's now enjoy'd by that Dear Saint Which we poor Hearts but long for breath and pant And know we'st never truly happy be Till from the Clogs of Sin we are set free And happy made in that Eternity Couns 3. Well then prepare you for to follow those Who whilst on Earth the way to Heaven chose Live we their Lives and then both you and I Shall die their Deaths whenever call'd to die Our Friends with Christ would not return again May we and ours thus in Heaven reign Couns 4. Sit loose to th' World and all thingâ— you have got Vse them whilst here as if you us'd them not For if we Creature-Comforts love too much We'st over-sorrow when we part with such And such we must part with or they with us Our late and sad Experience teaches thus Our Friend is gone judge well of what God 's done And in your Heav'nly Race more swiftly run When Stately OAKES thus fall such Shrubs as I Had need begin to live and learn to die When such Fruit-bearing Plants are ta'ne away Shall I a Cumber-ground expect to stay But stay I run too fast let all Men know He joys Above while we lament Below Farewel Dear Saint Farewel I 'le after haste That Heaven's Dainties with thee I may taste An Hymn upon Mr. Slater's Subject from these Words Eph. 2. 5. By Grace â—â— are saved c. IT 's Grace that saves and Grace alone The Soul that comes to see Himself as lost and ruin'd quite And ripe for Misery From first to last the Sinner must Acknowledg every Pace And Step he takes in Heaven's ways To be an Act of Grace Grace does begin and carry on This Glorious Work alone Lays the Foundation builds thereon And adds the Corner-Stone The Means of Grace are all of Grace The Word that 's preach'd and read The Prayers put up and Sacraments And other Childrens Bread Do we repent and then relent The Evils we have done And fall to pray from Day to Day That Mercy may be shown Renounce all this we must as Rags A Saviour to embrace For 't is not Man that wills or runs But God that sheweth Grace Election that 's of special Grace Hereby God separates And whom he early did fore-know Those he predestinates Chosen they were in Christ before Foundations we could see According to God's Pleasure just That Holy they might he 'T was not for any Worth in Man Nor Faith fore-seen i' th Case Not for good Works that should be done What can it be but Grace And those God chose he also calls Both by his Word and Spirit That they to Glory may be brought And that through Grace not Merit By Deeds o' th Law there 's no Flesh can Be justify'd at last For Persons that are try'd thereby Are surely to be cast That shews indeed the Spots and Stains Vpon the Sinner's Face Who never can be justify'd But by an Act of Grace Another saving Step the Soul Obliged is to take If ever he would happily Of Heaven's Joys partake Is Holiness in Heart and Life A Sanctify'd Estate And this my Soul 's the Gift of God Who long does woe and wait Mourn now my Soul break off from Sin No longer do it cherish For they that will not here repent They must hereafter perish Pray hard to God for saving Faith By Nature thou hast none Renounce whatever thou hast done Rely on Christ alone Knowledg it is another Grace The Sinner that would live Must be in pain till he obtain From him can only give For lack of it how many die And headlong post to Hell Study the Scriptures then betimes And so thou may'st do well Lord sanctify my sinful Soul That Holy I may be Without it here in Heart and Life Thy Face I shall not see And teach me then with single Heart Thy Precepts to obey Suffer not those inticing me To lead my Soul astray And now the
to a Relation growing loose in Conversation Dear Cousin THE Contents of this may seem strange to you especially as coming from one so unfit and unable to be your Monitor yet when I tell you it 's out of a sincere Love to your precious Soul and a hearty Desire of your Well-doing I doubt not but in Kindness it will be receiv'd as indeed it is intended not only the Relation between us but the Rules of Christianity will oblige us to watch over one another And truly Cousin I am satisfi'd that Religion never receives a greater Wound than by the Miscarriages of Professors Stains in them will prove more mischievous than the Spots of a Licentious Age. O Cousin The Eyes of the World are upon you nay God's Eye is upon you to whom you and all the World must be accountable With much Grief and Sadness of Heart I have very lately heard you reflected upon for some loose Carriages and that particularly by one eminent for Grace and Goodness whose Name I am obliged to conceal what he acquaints me with is in Tenderness to you and out of a hearty Desire I should improve my Interest in your behalf Some indeed of the times having made their Observations upon you seem themselves very much to condemn you as declaring you are in the direct way to ruin your self instancing in these things viz. Your High-house-keeping your Negligence in all your Affairs your frequent Contracting new Debts your Excess in Pleasures associating your self with the Gallants of the Age and your sinful Compliances in high Drinking One Person I know whose Company is scandalous enough yet your Intimacy with him great You are not as some fear very likely to do him good it 's well if he does not do you hurt Some say it had been well if you had never left Roadnook remembring your blameless Conversation there and your Zeal for God and Godliness My Desire and Prayers are you may be still found in the same Paths of Holiness remember from whence you are faln and repent and do your first Works having begun in the Spirit beware of ending in the Flesh You did run well and who has hindered you Come Cousin we can never think of entring the Strait-Gate by walking in the Broad-way and much better it had been we had never known the way of Life than after to walk in the Paths of Death If we live after the Flesh we shall die but if we through the Spirit do mortify the Deeds of the Body we shall live I hope you and I have so learn'd Christ as to know that the way of carnal Liberty and Looseness the way of evil Company and Fleshliness is not the way to Heaven I am not for tying up Salvation to this or that Opinion for let Men be of what Opinion they will surely without Strictness Self-denial and Holiness they cannot be saved Mat. 16. 42. Mat. 11. 12. 1 Pet. 1. 15 16. O then with holy David labour to be only a Companion of those that fear the Lord for God has said The Companions of Fools shall be destroyed Prov. 13. 20. and who greater Fools than impenitent Sinners Yours in Christ G. D. A Letter to my dear Friend Mr. Whitaker SIR I Receiv'd yours by our Neighbour by whose Conveyance I hope this may arrive your hands I return you hearty Thanks for your good Society whilst with us for which I am abundantly obliged to you not you to me I should be very glad to see you again with good Mrs. Whitaker with you when your Conveniency and more setled-times will encourage for truly at present it 's a dark and gloomy Day with us but Light is sown for the Righteous and Gladness for the upright in Heart Psal 97. 11. Our Ministers Night and Day are so strictly watch'd for that they come not at all amongst us many have here suffer'd very much some one way some another but yet truly God is good to Israel and to them of an upright Heart his Ways are certainly the best Ways however at present attended with Trouble and Difficulty Were it with us as Men and Devils would have it it would be much worse but they are under the Lord's Restraints who triumph over us Your kind and Christian Lines were no less seasonable than welcome at this Juncture when poor I find all Helps little enough to keep me unmov'd in such shaking days as ours and to prevent Murmurings Frettings and Repinings at the Prosperity of the Wicked Dear Sir pray that my Faith fail not The Lord establish our Hearts and Minds with Grace and enable us at what time we are afraid with holy David to trust in him and with Jehoshaphat under all Discouragements whatsoever to encourage our selves in the Lord our God I do believe God will issue things well and bring Order out of all Confusion and Light out of Darkness and Good out of all Evil that 's before us It will be thus in his Time if not in ours His will be done Yours c. G. D. To Mrs. Mary Lavet after her Marriage Decemb. 85. Dear Madam I Hope when all things are consider'd you will not see much cause to blame me that I have not before now welcomed and congratulated your arrival into our Condition Till your Letter to my Wife came which some ways strangely halted in its Voyage I knew not otherways than by common Fame which of late has prov'd too false to trust whether to call you by first or second Name however now Madam I wish you much Joy in the Change of it send a Thousand good Wishes after you and heartily beg what I am sure you desire That this Change of your Condition may be to the Glory of God the Advantage of your Soul and the Mutual Comfort and Satisfaction one of another I need not acquaint you who are better able to be my Monitor that the new Condition the Lord has brought you into calls for new Duties and may be accompanied with new Trials the Lord â—it you and your dear Yoak-Fellow good Mr. Lavet for all and crown your Change with many Blessings both Temporal Spiritual and Eternal I hope Madam you will believe though when last in the Country you would not make trial that my House is as much your Home as ever and glad we shall be at any time to enjoy such Guests My dear Wife begs your pardon for not answering your kind Letter for which she thanks you and hopes those hurrying Circumstances we were about that time under may excuse the Neglect The Lord â—it us for his Pleasure support us in a time of Trial enable us to maintain our Integrity and keep our Standing in Christianity whatever comes and prevent our declining and decaying in the good Ways of God is the earnest and hearty Prayers of him who needs and begs yours And O that we and all that wish well to Sion may pray hard for the Peace and Prosperity of Jerusalem for they shall