Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A26018
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Some remarks upon the life of that painful servant of God, Mr. Nathanael Heywood minister of the Gospel of Christ ... who died in the 44th year of his age ... / by Sir H. Ashurst.
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Ashurst, Henry, 1614?-1680.
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1695
(1695)
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Wing A3975; ESTC R35289
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38,076
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120
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hid them out of our sight and hindred our Converse with them yet they have dropt the Mantle of good Examples which still we have and observant Eyes and diligent Pens have drawn some Renowned Patriots in lively Colours in which we may behold much of God's Image in the face of their conversings amongst men and Conversations both in their Personal and Publick Capacities This is a petty Resurrection and much good service is done to succeeding Ages hereby by which they being dead yet speak yea spiritual life is transfused to Readers through the Lines and Leaves transmitted to them Blessed be God for these famous Heroes If the Jews mentioned such Brave Men dead with Notes of Remark as Rabbi Hillel of Blessed Memory Why should not the memory of the just be blessed Certainly Prov. 10. 7. there 's a vast difference in the ears of Protestants betwixt Blessed Bradford and Bloody Bonner Men usually say when they have interred the Corps of their dead Relations and left them in the Dust that they have done their last Office to them or for them But I judge that to be a gross mistake for there are several Offices to which we are bound on their behalf 1. We ought to lament their Death as a sad loss for the Church of God I speak of pious and useful Persons Gen. 50. 10. decent Funeral Solemnities were kept a considerable time in Scripture 2. Observing and complying with the Commands and the Gen. 50. 16. Deut. 34. 10. Counsels of the Dead so Joseph's Brethren 3. Giving the Dead deserved Commendation 4. Vindication of their Reputation according to truth 5. Monuments erected for a Memorial as Jacob over Rachel's Gen. 35. 20. 2 Sam. 1. 17. 1 Kings 3. 6. Acts 9. 34. Grave 6. Funeral Elegies as David over Saul and Jonathan 7. Owning our Father's God and Covenant so Solomon 8. Manifesting Demonstrations of dead Person 's Charity and Piety as the Widows for Dorcas 9. An exact imitation of their praise-worthy Acts. 10. Communion with Heb. 6. 12. Heb. 12. 22. dead Saints believing that there are such rejoycing in their Glory hoping in a short time to be with them thinking of them studying Conformity to them that we may do God's Will on Earth as it 's done in Heaven 11. Yea something is also due from us to the surviving Relations of our pious dead Friends as David shewed kindness 2 Sam. 9. 2. to Jonathan's seed All this and possibly more without the imputation of Saint-worship may surviving Christians do when their gracious Friends and Relations disappear in this Lower World only let us not admire them but God in them so saith the Text 2 Thes 1. 10. When he shall come to be glorified in his saints and to be admired in all them that believe Mark it Gods holiest Saints must not be admired but God in them Our Admiration must not respect Men simply but be terminated upon God through them Creature-worship is very natural to us especially if we see more than ordinary excellency in the Creature or receive some singular Benefit thereby The great Apostle John was twice guilty of Angel-adoration and was twice admonished against it But doubtless it is a good Work and no despicable Office of surviving Friends to commemorate the imitable Acts of dead Ministers or Christians of considerable Magnitude and Figure in the Church This is my Apology for writing this History knowing how acceptable it will be to Christian Friends Natural Relations and to the Church of God indeed he was amiable to all and very imitable in the Passages of his Life and Circumstances that relate to his Death what was praise-worthy in him let God have the Glory of it what is defective in the Copy or Transcriber let Charity draw a Curtain over both I do find that the Servants of God have been very careful and critical in Writing the Lives of Eminent Men as Camerarius wrote the Life of Luther Junius of Ursin Beza of Calvin Antonius Jaius of Beza Josias Simlerus of Peter Martyr Dr. Humphry of Bp. Jewell c. Melchior Adamus hath summed them up together and Mr. Samuel Clark hath made many Collections neither the Person described nor the Scribe answering these men of God it doth make me blush to appear in this Undertaking especially in this so Critical Age but this I dare say The Subject or Person treated of was full of good Works and he that treats thereon is full of Good-Will Nor have I related all that might have been writ and that he himself writ judging it not convenient because it might be offensive Take this in good part live up to it pray for the weak Transcriber and beg hard that God would raise up many Masters in Israel to make up this and other Vacancies made of late by the Death of Eminent Ministers which seems to be a sad Omen and dreadful Prognostick of some desolating Judgment approaching for our Defence is departing from us the Chariots and Horsemen of Israel are ascending in a Fiery Chariot Stakes are taken out of the Hedge that Wild Beasts may enter Pillars are removed the House totters we have lost much good Blood Jacob's Face looks pale May our dear Lord once at last restore his Ministers to their Publick Employments pour out a Spirit of Prayer cause an universal casting of melted Sinners into the Mould of the Gospel and revive a Work of Reformation that the promise may be performed in Isaiah 29. 22 23. Thus saith the Lord who redeemed Abraham concerning the house of Jacob Jacob shall not now be ashamed neither shall his face now wax pale But when he seeth his children the work of mine hands in the midst of him they shall sanctify my name and sanctify the holy one of Jacob and shall fear the God of Israel Amen So be it March 29. 1694. A SHORT Historical Account OF THE LIFE and DEATH OF Mr. Nathanael Heywood c. Mr. Nathanael Heywood was Born in Little Leaver in the Parish of Bolton le-Moors in Lancashire descended of godly and useful Parents Richard and Alice Heywood he was baptized in the Parish-Church Septemb. 16. 1633. During his Infancy he was exceeding weak and sickly much afflicted with Fits of Convulsion and was frequently under the sentence of Death in the apprehension of all Spectators His tender-hearted Parents often gave him up for gone but God who quickneth the dead raised him from the gates of the grave that by him he might raise sinners from Damnable Death to Spiritual Life Notwithstanding those violent Fits did so weaken his Spirits that in his younger days he was not judged fit to be trained up for the Ministry and therefore his Parents did frequently take him from School and set him to learn to Write and cast Accompts in order to sending him to London for an Apprentice But he recruiting as to natural strength and they being encouraged by his extraordinary capacity for Learning kept him still at School
to this day Archers have sorely griev'd us and shot at us 34 Arrows I mean Warrants but our Bow abides in strength by the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob Officers have come Eighteen Lord's days together but have not as yet scattered us how easy is it for God to save us while we serve him if we could believe I am encouraged to hope that some good is done or may be done by my poor labours in this season and 't is no ill sign when Satan rageth so violently against us God can work without or against means and can work by improbable means to accomplish great ends I was never more inwardly born up under storms nor strengthened against difficulties in all my life it may be my time is but short and my work near an end Oh! that I may live and die in God's work and way and be faithful unto death Dear Brother let my condition have a deeper impression on your heart than ordinary Two Warrants one for 20 l. the other for 40 l. have been out against me these Seven Weeks but we keep our doors fast Barred and the Officers are very Civil to us Oh! that I could see you I have no Horse but go all my Journeys on foot November 13 1674. He thus writes I bless God my Liberty notwithstanding all my troubles is not wholly lost but sometimes disturbed we meet in fear yet we meet in both Chappels No Warrant is sent for a Month or more and my Auditory increaseth again Oh! that I had an heart to improve late experiences and present opportunities and do my duty leaving the issue to him that judgeth righteously But his excessive Pains though refreshing to his Spirit yet were wasting to his Body for about that time thus he writes I am still at work in both Chappels but I am much cast down with pains and weakness of Body having overgone my strength and wasted my self in these intervals of Liberty God hath given us But I have no reason to repent any thing I could ever do for so good a Master Oh! that I had done more and better About the same time he Writes thus Some assaults Satan hath made upon me with a right-hand Temptation the whole Parish of Aughton have been importunate with me to put my self into a capacity for their Parsonage worth Seven or Eightscore Pond per Annum the Bishop i. e. Dr. Wilkins promiseth favour to me in it but God did not leave me so much as to have any serious thoughts to yeild to that Temptation I do preach still but not so constantly nor in so full a Congregration as formerly Dear Brother I beseech you for the Lord's sake and for the love of the Spirit strive together with me in your Prayers to God for me you know for what c. At last after many struglings threatnings affrightings peoples withdrawings and rallying again a stratagem was contrived to knock all dead at a blow some Deputy-Lieutenants sent some Soldiers to take Mr. Heywood in the Pulpit and though it was known yet they met in Bickerstaff Chappel Lady Stanly came out of her Gallery and placed herself near the Pulpit-door hoping to over-aw their Spirits and obstruct their designs the Soldiers stood without while Mr. Heywood was at prayer but when he had prayed they rushed in and required him to come down and go along with them he mildly desired the favour of them that they would give him leave to preach and he would go along with them but they rudely run towards the Pulpit the Lady would have stopp'd them but they pressed forward opened the Pulpit door got hold of his Coat and tore it and in a sort pull'd him out and took him away with them straight to Holland nor could the Lady's mediation prevail to procure him a little refreshment only in the road he grew saint and desired them to call with him at an Ale-house which they did and the Landlady though he had no acquaintance with her was exceeding kind to him and said he should have any thing she had in the house but those Rogues said she shall not have a morsel that took him so they carried him away to an Alehouse in Holland where he lodged that night and from whence thus writ to his Wife I am very well I bless God and never in greater honour or so highly advanced in all my life I was pulled out of the Pulpit with a Pistol lifted up at my head and a God-dam-me in mine ears but the man repents his rashness and wishes he had let me preach for he never heard a better prayer c. But be not troubled God hath shewed me more mercy than I can be thankful for Oh! help me to praise him Oh! what cause have we to rejoice in suffering upon this account God will have Glory and his Church the benefit c. but I fear it must be an Imprisonment or promise not to preach which is my very life But God in his gracious Providence did also scatter this cloud for the day after when it was noised abroad that Mr. Heywood was taken abundance of People and many considerable Gentlemen and some that were no friends to his Cause yet out of respect to his Person mediated for him yea several of good report and intimate with the Justices offered to be bound for his appearance and to give any security that should be required The Justices then tendred him the Oxford Oath he was in a strait for if he peremptorily refused it they had some advantage against him he told them that persons must swear in judgment and therefore he desired some time to consider of it which was consented to And seeing such an appearance of persons of all ranks for him they gave him respite and liberty to go home till the next Quarter-Sessions which was to be at Wigan a Month after but they bound him to appear at the Sessions Thus he was delivered out of that snare and went home and writ a Letter that day dated Jan. 28. 1674. Pray help me to praise God and remember a poor sufferer for the Gospel in your prayers People do so throng in to see me now I am come home again that I have not time to write fully to you but commit you to God and his protection that you may long enjoy and fruitfully improve that sweet Liberty in God's Vineyard which I doubt I have lost and indeed so it proved The Sessions at Wigan came on he attended there according to his Bonds several Justices appeared for him and his friends came to see the issue and to mediate for him Old Lady Stanly came herself and her Husband Mr. Henry Hoghton a Justice of Peace yea Mr. Christopher Banister of Bank and several others spoke much on his behalf another Justice then upon the Bench said If Mr. Heywood was sent to Lancaster Goal he should be as comfortably maintained and as honourably released as ever any Prisoner was some of his