Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	angel_n	judge_n	zion_n	223	3	8.3506	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A53907	A sermon preached at the funeral of the Reverend Doctor Ambrose Atfield, late minister of St. Leonard Shoreditch, preached in the said parish church, March 19, 1683/4 by Richard Pearson ...	Pearson, Richard, d. 1734.	1684 (1684)	Wing P1015; ESTC R23231	12,727	34

continue to discharge his Duty towards all and yet not happen to make any thereby his declared Enemies But have the peculiar Happiness so to charm or silence even the worst disposed Persons as that Malice it self shall not once dare to open it's Mouth against him but out of meer shame or dispair of gaining Credit forbear saying that which it cannot be so blind as not to be sensible would serve to no other purpose but only to procure to it self the General Hatred and Disgrace of others And so as to our deceased Brother thus much I dare affirm that very few if any either have or will say any other than well of him The only Instance of any thing like an ill Reflection that I could ever hear so much as Attempted to be cast upon him and which to do right to his Memory I think it not inconvenient at this time to take notice of was such a thing as when thorowly understood will I make no question tend rather every way to his deserved Commendation Now some have been ready to Object it as an Argument of something of a greedy Temper that he should hold several Lectures in the City and more especially his Sunday-night Lecture But God forbid that his Triple-pains and Diligence in Preaching should in it self be look't upon by any as a fault in him And that he was far from doing this out of any such Sordid Motive there needs no other Argument or Demonstration than this That he did not put up any thing of the Money but constantly gave away the whole Forty Pound per Annum towards the uses of a generous Charity And he afterwards as readily desisted from that Employment as soon as he understood that Authority thought it not so convenient in some respects that it should be at that Time and Place any longer continued But I need not have said any thing of this had it not been for the sake of some who may happen to have been less acquainted with him As for those of this Parish they know full well and I hope will always gratefully remember how ready he was both to give and forgive so much commonly every Year as amounted to no inconsiderable Sum. To say nothing of how Chearfully he at all times bestowed his Charitable Pains among the Poorer sort not only freely forgiving them his Dues but frequently also as he saw Occasion adding more out of his own Pocket instead of receiving from them I spare to add much more of what was highly Commendable in him and might evidence him to have been a Person truly faithful in his several Relations and Eminently Serviceable in his Generation since the Consideration of these things does in it self naturally tend only to Aggravate our Sorrow for the loss of him Which yet that it may not in any one exceed the due Bounds of a Christian Moderation in these Cases we are therefore also to consider that the same things which make us so sensible of our own loss are turned to his unspeakable Gain and endless Happiness who having behaved himself like a good and faithful Servant is now entered into the Joy of his Lord and having been so Instrumental by his godly Example as well as Doctrine to turn as we have good reason to hope many unto Righteousness is now called from us to take a Place among those other Stars of Glory Thus unless we be willing too much to indulge our selves in a fond kind of self-love rather than to shew a discreet Love towards him such good Hope as this must needs be of it self sufficient to mix such Substantial Comfort with our Sorrow as will be sure to keep it within the just Limits of a truly Christian Decorum In order to which end of moderating our Grief though it may seem Impertinent after this main Foundation of Comfort to add any thing else to the same purpose yet one Consideration more I cannot well tell how to forbear since it so naturally offers it self from the peculiar Temper and most Remarkable Example of the Person himself deceased in which indeed he has left us all who were well acquainted with him if we do but take care not to deprive our selves of it by want of endeavour to imitate a very rare and most valuable Legacy For he was a Man whose Mind was always so Calm and even of a Temper so Serene and well Composed his Heart so Christianly Resigned to Providence and so admirably fortifyed against all the usual Cross Occurrences of Humane Life that as I much question whether any one can say that ever he observed him Transported with the Passion of Anger so I scarcely believe that ever he was seen oppressed with any thing of excessive Grief upon any Occasion He had learnt to bear the Death of other Friends with such wonderful Patience and would so Familiarly and Reconciledly talk of his own that I am bound to be a grateful Acknowledger of how excellent Influence his very Conversation was towards the Satisfaction and Composing the Minds of others in the like Cases Nor was his Temper or Beheaviour in the least altered when he came to be Actually Exercised by his last and most painful Sickness But tho he had before enjoy'd constant good Health for a great while together which usually makes Men less able to bear the Tryal of such Pains yet I cannot remember that ever I beheld any Instance of a more Exemplary Patience Perfectly resigned he was either for Life or Death as God should see fit to dispose of him and when at last he perceived his Time drawing near took his last Farewell of his Relations with most Pious Exhortations to them and useful Counsels and then meekly resigned up his Spirit into the Hands of him that gave it Thus Calmly he lived and thus he dy'd an Eminent Pattern of a meek and quiet Mind of admirable Tranquillity and Resignation So that I am half persuaded that even his Cheerful Air and composed Countenance strongly impressed on our Memories and the due consideration how he used constantly to demean himself in the like Cases may prove no insuccessful Antydote against or be enough to shame one out of any Extravagant Passion of what sort soever And methinks at least if Grief will admit of Teaching the most Calm and Manly sort of Sorrow should best befit the Funerals of Dr. Atfield Nor will it become us now if we rightly value his Memory or Example to sorrow as others who have no Hope nor yet to sorrow for him as for others even where there is the same good Hope And now to conclude all There is but one thing more remaining which besides the Christian Office we are going to perform we are still capable of doing for him for our selves I should say and yet why may I not say for both Since it is reasonably supposeable that his Joy even in the other State may be more encreased to all Eternity by our seasonable Practice of what I am going to direct you to Which is no other in short than this that we would all take special care to let his Godly Example and wholesom Doctrines all his pious Counsels and good Advice whether Private or Publick have Respectively their due Influence and Effect upon our Minds and Lives This this is the way the only way to make him still live among us tho he be gone from us by this means tho he be Dead he will yet speak not only to but in us And so when we our selves come also as he has already done to put off these Earthly Tabernacles we may Joyfully meet him again to part no more for ever and not only him but also all other of our Friends departed hence in the true Faith and fear of God when we shall be truly come unto Mount Sion to the City of the Living God the Heavenly Jerusalem and to an Innumerable Company of Angels to the general Assembly and Church of the first-born and to God the Judg of all and to the Spirits of just Men made perfect and to Jesus the Mediator of the new Covenant and there be for ever present with the Lord in that blissful State where God shall wipe away all Tears from our Eyes and there shall be no more Death neither Sorrow nor crying neither shall there be any more Pain but all these former things being passed away there shall succeed a new Scene of Joys unspeakable and Life and Happiness Everlasting To which c. FINIS