Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	father_n	love_n	love_v	5,814	5	7.1381	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A56573	The testimony of that dear and faithful man, John Matern who had lived six years and faithfully served the Lord in his vocation in the family of C. T. now dwelling at Edmonton in Middlesex. Also, other blessed testimonies concerning him, and the truth itself; with something concerning his blessed condition in the time of his sickness, and when he was near his departure. With several testimonies of sensible children who had been under his tuition. Published that God may have his glory in preserving his faithful ones faithful to the end. A. P.	Matern, John, 1639 or 40-1680.; Paterson, A., Quaker.; Taylor, Christopher, ca. 1615-1686. aut	1680 (1680)	Wing P683; ESTC R217118	17,546	37

who is the Light and Life of our Souls may never forget it nor give him any occasion to Withdraw his Love and Mercy from us but that his Holy and blessed Work of Regeneration and Renovation of our minde as it is begun by his Holy and Glolious Power it also may be carried on by the same that daily we may Witness an increase with the increase of the Lord and a thorow change in our inward Man from Glory to Glory as by the Spirit of the Lord that thus his Praises may be perfected out of the Mouths of Babes and Sucklings unto which he hath made known himself in his Heavenly Light and Life Mercy and Power Grace and Truth by which many of them are come to know the things of God and of his Spiritual Kingdom revealed within them in his Holy power Righteousness peace and joy in the Holy Ghost which things are hid from the Wise and Prudent of this World because they hate and despise the Light of Jesus Christ in and through which alone they should receive the true and Saving Knowledge of God and his Son Jesus Christ whom to know is Life Eternal wherein also the operating virtue of the Living Bloud of the Son of God is onely effectually felt and Witnessed cleansing away all Sin and Iniquity unto the saving of the Soul from the Wrath to come that so an entrance may be adminstred unto it abundantly into the Everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ wherein the Righteous live with God in unspeakable Joy and full of Glory O that many of the young and tender ones here with us may be kept in the Life and Virtue Wisdom and Power of the Lord God to the confusion of many in their Earthly Wisdom and the conversion of them from their Evil wayes O thou Shepherd of Israel lead them on Gently and Tenderly and go before them out and in as a Shepherd goes before his Flock and lead them to the Green Pastures of Life that Feeding there they may have Light and Life in them and that they may have it more abundantly and by it become an Eternal Excellency to thee and a Joy of many Generations O Lord I humbly beseech thee Bless our Godly undertakings and indue us with thy Heavenly Wisdom that we may bring them up in the nurture and admonition of thee O Bless this Family here and all the Families of thine inheritance every where with Heavenly and Spiritual Blessings in thy Son Christ Iesus O Lord keep keep and preserve me every one of us that have tasted of the sweet Love and Heavenly Power by which our Souls have been reached convinced and converted faithful unto thy self keep us always in a Living Sence of thy manifold mercies and tender Love to us that we may live in thy holy Fear and never return to folly any more but walk low and humble with thee our God and tender Father in Christ Iesus O Lord establish our Hearts with thytruth that we may never depart from thee Season our Souls with thy Holy Powerful Word of Grace that all our Words and Works may be Savoury and good for the use of Edifying strengthen our inward man with might by thy Spirit that under thy banner of Love we may fight the good fight of faith and keep a good Conscience and finish our course with joy and receive the Crown of Righteousness which is laid up for all them that love thy appearance in thy Heavenly Light So O Lord for all thy goodness and mercys and benefits both Temporal and Spiritual bestowed upon me and our Family my Soul praises and glorifies exaltes and magnifies thy holy Name Glory and Honour Wisdom and Power be unto thee who art God over all blessed for ever and for evermore Amen Edmonton the 24th of the 6 Month 1680. J. Matoi● He died about 7 Days after that he brought in his Testimony and caused it to be read amongst the Scholars My most Loving and Endeared Friend and Colleague John Matern being taken ill of a Feaver the 24th of the 6 Month 80. was called out of this Life the 1st day of the 7 Month a little after the 7 hour in the Afternoon THis is my Testimony and belief concerning him that he is entred into everlasting favour with the Lord who in his life-time much regarded the Honour of his Maker and it was the delight of his Soul to be imployed either amongst young or old in his Fathers business it was his hearts delight and Souls great joy to have the oppertunity to benefit others He was a Man very much Dead to the World the sense whereof I felt Livingly upon my Spirit at present and I hope the comfortable fellowship and Heart-gladding society that I have had with him for these three years and more and that wherein we have mutually enjoyed in one another shall never be forgotten by me but shall be matter of Praise and Thanksgiving to the God of true unity who was pleased to bless us together and work up our Spirits into an oneness so that I may truly say my Dear Friend to my knowledge was never exercised one way or another with sorrow or grief but my Soul was engaged to sympathize with him and to feel the weight of his Burthens and then we both breathed together to the God of Grace whose Mercies are infinite till he in his tender Bowels of compassion was pleased to afford ease and Relief And as in his Life-time we were Indisolveably knit together in our Spirits so that at his Death our Loves were not abated but much more Large then ever About Four hours before he departed we kept our Family Meeting in the room where he Lay i● being his desire and there Lovingly together we enjoyed one another in the Lord to the melting and tendring of I believe the hearts of all that were present And in the time of the Meeting he was filled with Divine praises and Heavenly Hymns and a Heavenly presence was felt supporting his Spirit all the time of his Sickness but more especially during the time of the Meeting so that he was first exercised in Singing Praises to the Lord and in magnifying his great Power evidenced in himself and in this Family his cryes were strong tha● the Lord might carry on his Blessed work begun in this Family and he besought the Lord to prosper his truth daily more and more every where till all were Subjected thereunto which he declared should come to pass he likewise confessed the many Singular favours he had Partaken of in this Eamily and as it were with regret bemoaned his absence from it so long that he should have so long wandered not knowing his place and service in the Body When the Children were all sitting round about him in the Meeting his Heart was open and large towards them in exhorting and beseeching of them to persevere and go on in the name and authority of the mighty God and that

they might be faithful unto him in their measures and not to despise the day of small things but as they were faithful in a little more should be added his Mouth and Heart was full of Praises to the Highest for many particular mercies but more especially that he had received the knowledge of the everlasting Truth and had walked in it for some time perfectly and uprightly in his measure for which at that time he declared he had the Testimony of a good Conscience and was entred into Eternal Peace with the Lord which I do firmly believe and without doubting am perswaded that it is true and it is the desire of my Heart that I may so walk in my Generation that in the end I may enjoy but such a comfortable Death as he did It was as hard a Tryal as ever I met with I may say which I desire may be sanctified of the Lord but now am well satisfied that he is gone into everlasting bliss to be with the Lord for ever And it is the belief of my Heart that when ever it shall please the Lord to call me out of the body that as we were lovely together in this Life that forever we shall be Ioyned as I am preserved faithful and that in a more nearness then could be enjoyed here we shall sing Praises to God and the Lamb for ever So in this belief I rest my self contented with my condition at present Edmonton the 2 of the 7 Month 1680. A. Paterson DEar John Matern Died not as a Fool Dieth that feared not the Living God but his Heart was bent to seek after a City whose Builder and Maker is God He made his Calling and Election sure and a good Savour he has left behind him and his Works follow him he was a diligent Man in his Vocation and very zealous for Gods Glory his aim was at Eternity and through the mercy of the Lord he missed not of it so that when he lay on his Death-Bed the Glory of the Lord over-shadowed him and his Innocent cryes were unto him that all might be kept faithful that professed his name and more particularly that both small and great in our Family might be preserved to the Lord and his Heavenly Sounds of Praises to God with a raised up voice by the Assistance of the Power and Glory of God upon his Spirit I believe I shall never forget me thinks mine Ears are full of them still hearing the sound of that sweet Harmonious melody with a raised up voice when otherwise if Gods power had not enabled him confessed he was scarce able to move his Tongue he have Heavenly Exhorations to the young ones to persevere and go on in obedience to the Lord in that truth they had received and encouraged his honest and faithful companion and assistant to go on in the work of the Lord. I dearly loved him because of his simplicity and lowliness of Mind his faithfulness and diligence in his place and because his Heavenly care was intirely to do good when I remember his dear simplicity how like an Innocent Child he was in his place my Soul breaks within me and I am melted even into great tenderness and love unto him more then can be uttered Tongue cannot utter nor Pen set down the excellencie and eminency of this love which is so overcomming he was a very wise and learned man as to outward Learning but how he denied himself and how humbly he behaved himself and how free he was from priding himself because of his Great parts and natural endowments as a man I can say according to my Judgment he went before many well he is gone and in the name of the Lord he blessed the Family he had lived in and praised God that he had placed him in it such blessed things he acknowledged he had been partaker of in it and after he had done his work he went to his Father even as an Innocent Lamb unconcerned about his Death as fearing it not but on the contrary praising God for the certain trust he had in his Power telling us how certain he was of Eternal Salvation the Glory of the Lords power rested upon his Spirit and sweetly did he give up the Ghost O blessed art thou my dear companion my Soul loved thee and embraced thee and I love thee still and thy life is with us I pray God as that sincerity that was in three may remain in Thousands and Ten Thousands that Gods Host in this day may be innumerable Amen God is with us and we know though we may be taken out of this Life according to his pleasure yet his Truth and Faithfulness departs not from the Families of his faithful ones who can truly say they seek his sweet Face and countenance and Glory in all things and we can say that the secret hand of the Lord works not against us but for us Oh! my Soul be glad in the God of thy Mercies everlasting praises be to thy name for evermore Edmonton the 8th of the 7th Month 1680. C. T. DEar Friends and Children but especially you Children of this Family it is upon me to relate something unto you of my exercise which I have gone through since the Lord did put it into our Hearts to take upon us the exercise of Educating of Children and indeed the very first step into it was with fear and trembling but though I was very tender the Lord hath called me to a blessed Work and had blessedly assisted us by his mighty power and out-stretched Arm to this very day O the days of Sighing and Mourning that I have gone through amongst disorderly Servants and Children that sometimes I did not well know how it was with me or whether I went backwards or forwards in my condition O the travel the Travel that was in my way to Zion that indeed some times I was almost ready to dispair but it did please the Lord sometimes to arise in his mighty power to strengthen and encourage and uphold me in his blessed work and when his Glorious Light shone round encouraged to walk in his way and then I thought I should run swiftly when Exercises came again and when the Fogs and Mists did arise again and the Sun was Darkened again that I could not see which way to go then did I crie unto the Lord that he would be pleased to keep me in the measure of his blessed Truth for I said in my Heart that it should be my reasolution that I would never turn back again to folly Thus I passed on through much Difficulty and the Lord did mightily uphold me but sometimes I knew it not and indeed when I have beheld others Eating of the Dainties of Gods House I have been ready to murmure and say O Lord why do I fare so hardly my meat being bitter Herbs and of an unsavoury taste Thus I Travelled in Sorrow through a long Winter and in the Lords blessed time he was pleased to arise