Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A60847
|
Some remarkable passages in the holy life and death of Gervase Disney, Esq. to which are added several letters and poems.
|
Disney, Gervase, 1641-1691.
|
1692
(1692)
|
Wing S4594; ESTC R33846
|
111,400
|
321
|
'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
her weakness by Asthma and Feaver increasing and prevailing upon her she had some Disturbance by Temptations from Satan that grand Adversary of Souls to question her right to Happiness c. and whether God would accept so vile a Wretch Yet blessed be the Lord through Faith and Prayer and the never-failing Mercies of a Good God she got over all baffled Satan and was filled with unspeakable Joy in the Holy Ghost The Doctor prayed with her and afterward she her self prayed a considerable time distinctly and aloud and for her then Comfort and Support many Passages of Sermons she had heard especially some from Mr. Coates on that Text Come unto me all ye that labour c. came fresh in her Memory which the Lord helped her to improve to the great Comfort and Refreshment of her Soul She was now full of Heavenly Thoughts and from the abundance of her Heart her Mouth was now speaking c. She uttered nothing but what was savoury religious and serious and being spent by great Weakness went triumphantly to Heaven upon the 29th of May 1686. The Doctor told me it was the comfortablest Night that ever he enjoyed in all his Life Here at Leicester worthy Mr. Clarke the Nonconformist waited my coming that he might accompany me to Ollercarr which he did and the Lord made him mighty useful by his Christian advice to me June 3. I got home where I found a most sad and disconsolate Family I that needed others to comfort me was fain to be their Comforter June 5 1686. This Day my Diary manifests that I was grown more calm under the Lord 's mighty Hand and the loss of a Dearest Wife but yet too full of miserable Complaints and quarrelling Thoughts against my Maker the Lord forgive me and compose me for the Duties of the Sabbath following June 6. This Day was a very comfortable Sabbath with reference to my Enjoyments but the want of my Dear Wife occasioned Floods of Tears and violent Passions the Lord pardon my tumultuous Thoughts and in the Multitude of my Thoughts within me let his Comforts more refresh my Spirit June 7. This Day my Dear Wife was Interr'd at Crich where if the Lord please so to order it I desire and intend to lie by her the Lord pardon Sins while I had her and such as I have been most guilty of since I parted with her June 8. This Day through Mercy not much quarrelling with the Lord's Dispensations more calm than I was O that I could be dumb with Silence and not open my Mouth in a fretting and repining way because the Lord has done what 's done unto me the Lord sanctify this sad Breach upon me to my Soul's Good May I remember my Sins that have provoked God and be humbled for them and return to the Lord that smiteth June 9. This Day I find my Heart better fitted and framed to bear this sad Stroke This Day was preach'd by Mr. Coats my Dear Wife's Funeral-Sermon from these words 1 Thess 4. 13. But I would not have you to be ignorant Brethren concerning them which are asleep that ye sorrow not even as others which have no hope Passion in the Sermon I was guilty of when in the Commondatory Part he was shewing what a Wife she was the Lord pardon my unbecoming Carriage to her Several days after I gave account of the Lord 's quieting my Mind under the sad Loss sustain'd June 20. This was a very comfortable Sabbath and the Lord gave me great Delight under the Droppings of the Sanctuary Mr. Coats preach'd from these words Hear the Rod and who hath appointed it O! I would fain make application to my self O that I could hear the Voice of this sad Providence and take out the Lessons of this Rod O that I may carry my self like a Christian under this mighty Hand of God! I have cause to fear I did not improve Last-Summer's Mercies as I ought and God has made this a much more uncomfortable Summer O that as ever I desire the Lord should not go on in this way I may better improve this Dispensation Several Letters I receiv'd from Friends heartily sympathizing with me in my Trouble take the Copies of some of them as follows A Letter from Mr. J. R. dated June 4 1686. Dear Sir BY a Letter I received Yesterday from Mr. Coats I perceive the Letters I sent you in Town on Monday Night were like Job's Messengers one bringing you sad the other sadder News but I hope you receiv'd the News with Job's Temper or mind viz. The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away blessed be the Name of the Lord and God hath taken away the Delight of your Eyes and removed her out of sight she is in a state of Rest and you must behold her no more among the Inhabitants of the World this must needs be a pressing Affliction to lose so near so dear and so pious a Companion and that which aggravates the Affliction is that she was taken away in your Absence so suddenly and so unexpectedly But Dear Sir though God has crost your Will herein yet I hope a Tumult doth not arise your Passions and Affections are not in an uproar Why shall not God take away his own in his own time way and manner But Sir I am not to teach you God has rarely qualified you with the Graces of his Holy Spirit so that you know how to receive and how to resign a Mercy you know how to add to Faith Patience as you lately heard There is an animal Life of a Soul void of Grace accommodating it self to the Interests of the Flesh to all such things as are grateful to Sense but then there is a Spiritual Life which is a Principle enabling a Soul to bear up when God takes away our greatest Comforts such a Principle there is in you All I have to do is to sympathize with you and to pray that God would afford you more of the Assistances of his Holy Spirit that you may exert that Principle now at this time under this Loss The truth is 't is one of the most lovely Sights in the World to see a Christian acting Faith Patience Humility Submission Resignation c. in times of Affliction this makes the World say that there is something more in Religion than Talk but as I said I am not to teach you You have the teachings of the Spirit which will enable you to improve this Loss to better Gains The Lord sit us all for our last and great Change and in the midst of our private Losses let 's remember the Afflictions of Sion now sitting in the Dust So prays Your Sympathizing Friend and Humble Servant J. R. I hope you will return up again after some Days I think it will be convenient to divert your self with your Friends here some time after you have performed the last Office of Love to your Yoak-Fellow c. A Copy of a Letter from Cos M. S. dated