Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A45488
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The pastors last legacy and counsel delivered in a farewel sermon, preached at St. Philips in Bristol, August 24th, 1662 / Mr. Edward Hancock ...
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Hancock, Edward.
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1663
(1663)
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Wing H640; ESTC R40546
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20,130
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40
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only ask thee one question Art thou content to have no part in the happiness of the Church hereafter if thou separatest thy self from the Church Militant I tell thee in the name of my Lord and Master thou shalt be separated from the Church Triumphant hereafter Wouldst thou stand at the right hand of the Head of the Church and be owned as a Member and be glorified for ever with the Church why then here feel the Churches sorrow and cry mightily to God that he will arise and have mercy on Sion But if thou doest not here feel the Churches misery nor cry to God for deliverance thou must be separated from the Church hereafter And thus have I done with this general counsel learn to behave your selves well in the day of Jacobs troubles in four particulars Get the mark of mourners on your foreheads Keep your selves pure from the reigning sins of the times Feel the sorrows of the Church And cry mightily unto God that he would have mercy I now come to the 13 and last general counsel that I have to leave with you and that is Be you all truly wise Once more I say my last general counsel unto you is O be you all truly wise It is not an outward wisdom I would counsel you to but it is a spiritual wisdom a true wisdom Oh learn it it will do you good to all eternity Once more hearken to a few counsels from your departing friend which contains the substance of the greatest wisdom in the world and I am heartily willing to leave them with you as my farewel be truly wise take good counsel in these following particulars First View truth lose not true wisdom let not the god of this world blinde thine eyes any longer thou that hast a dark head here and doest not see the saving truth thou mayest be blinde for ever hereafter Do not lose the blessed Gospel the sight of Divine Beauty this is but a world of shadows stocks and straws and butter-flies Oh get a sight of the world to come think read hear meditate that thou mayest behold the beauty of Truth be much in hearing be much in reading read good Books meditate on them the less opportunity the ear hath the more opportunity the eye should have darkness is the Devils kingdom he is the prince of darkness and deeds of darkness are done in the Devils kingdom get out of it into the glorious Gospel of Light view Truth and study it Secondly Follow the light of it first see it then follow it people are apt to think they are in a good way when they are in a bad when you view Truth and have seen Divine Beauty then follow light or else turn so miserable that Infiniteness it self cannot get thee out of it If thou disobeyest Conscience thou runnest upon the point of the sword Conscience is that which is a discerner bread is bread and grain is grain but the goodness of it is better distinguished by being brought to the light Sin is sin but bring it to the light of Conscience it is clearer discerned thou that art a drunkard against thy Conscience a swearer a profaner of the Lords Day a reviler of his people c. and dost it against the light of thy Conscience what canst thou say for thy self at that day of account when this Book shall be laid open among the rest and all thy deeds of darkness discovered Thou that in matters of Religious Worship doest any thing against thy conscience runnest upon inavoidable misery and woe and thou shalt finde bitterness in the end Thirdly Live in the practise of self-deniel Oh take heed of the Flesh and the Devil so much as thou art ruled by these thine enemies so far thou settest thy self from the enjoyment of God for if self-pleasing be not counted by thee to be thine enemy and self-denial thy friend thou art out of the convoy of God what then will be thy end Live crucifying of thy flesh or thou shalt be crucified by it Fourthly Live in the sight of and dependance on the Father Son and Holy Spirit live in the sight thereof continually so long as thou art out of the sight of God so long thou art open to all dangers Depend upon the Father for giving upon the Son for purchasing upon the Holy Ghost for conveighing all good unto thee express thy dependance by thy earnest prayers to God for all good tugging and striving for thy life express thy dependance by a hanging and relying faith upon thy Saviour resisting all temptations resolve to live in the sight of and dependance on Father Son and Holy Spirit Fifthly Live in a good air keep good company a soul that is in evil company is in Hell whilst amongst them or else will go to Hell with them There is nothing more healthful to the body then to live in a good aire a bad air destroyes the health so doth bad company destroy the soul resist temptations thou must part with God or with evil company therefore forsake bad company resist temptations at first rising if thou dost not watch the first beginning of temptations to sin all thy vows and promises will vanish as dew before the Sun Sixthly Exchange temporal joyes for eternal be assured of it the world will leave you this garment the covering of it will fade therefore whilst the colour is any thing good get a better and more enduring part with the worlds contents for spiritual joyes this you are to do by daily mortification diligent edification and be sure to restifie thy sincerity towards God make good friends of the unrighteous Mammon that when you fail they may receive you into everlasting habitations Luke 16. Make friends with your estate lay it out upon christs poor Members really the world is going away apace Heaven and Earth is changing and waxeth old there are joyes everlasting Oh then exchange temporal joyes for eternal Seventhly Fill thy self with religious pleasures expect and overlook its cares if thou wouldest be truly wise do this the heart must have its joy either temporal or spiritual would you trample over the world then rejoyce in the Lord and again I say rejoyce Oh be truly wise let God Heaven and the Holy Spirit continually fill thy soul with religious joyes sweetness and beauty which will banish thy cares and dangers if thou art religious expect troubles but overlook them and cast thine eyes upon that joy that is in thy soul that thou art out of the reach of Satan and his instruments being under the safe conduct of Omnipotency who will undoubtedly bring thee safe through all to himself Eighthly If thou lovest life let death dwell in thy heart God knows how soon we may all dye now I am going away and am not to speak any more unto you except God finde out a way beyond our expectation I would therefore leave that counsel that may do you most good and make you truly wise Remember to have death alwayes
THE Pastors last Legacy AND COUNSEL Delivered in a Farewel SERMON Preached at St. PHILIPS in Bristol August 24 th 1662. By Mr. Edward Hancock late Minister there London Printed in the Year 1663. Mr. Edward Hancock's Farewel being his last Sermon Preached at St. Philips in Bristol August 24. 1662. SEt your hearts to hear the words of the Lord for it is not a vain thing because it is your Life as it is continued in the 13 th Chapter of the second Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians and the 11 th Verse Finally my Brethren farewel be perfect be of good comfort be of one minde live in peace and the God of love and peace shall be with you YOu know at this time I am called to do a work which possibly may be unpleasing unto many of you even as to my self which work is indeed a strange work that is to dye a civil death whilst I am naturally alive When the Sun for this day is set I shall then cease from having any charge over you and you will then cease from having me to be your Minister I may say as one did that was going to dye a violent death I am this day to do a work that I never yet did I desire of God to give me strength that I never yet had And having been long upon this Text shewing to every one of you your several duties and my time allotted draws nigh to an end The Lord grant that it may be spent for your eternal good that so I may dye well in this respect amongst you Those that dye well do usually these five things 1. First They must endeavour to make their peace with God 2. Secondly To be in perfect charity with all men 3. Thirdly To set their House in order 4. Fourthly To give good counsel to their surviving Friends 5. Lastly To commend them all to God by Prayer First As to my peace with God in reference to my civil life although yet naturally alive I think I may in some measure say with Saint Paul in the 20th of the Acts and the 27. verse I can give up my account with joy in reference to the discharge of my duty I having kept back nothing from you of the Councel of God having taught you publickly both in season and out of season the Oracles of God Secondly Those that dye well ought to dye in perfect charity with all men I hope I do so truly having not the least thing against any man this day I was not born a man of strife actually whatever I have been passively I have been severe against your Sins though not against your Persons I am in charity this day with every mans Person though not with their Sins I have not striven against your Persons but against your Sins and the Devil I now dye amongst you in perfect charity with all men desiring the Lord to forgive all mine enemies as I do from my soul forgive them Thirdly Those that dye well must set their house in order that is a work that should not be put off until the last gasp the house that I have to set in order is not my own but the Lords it is good to do it timely you know I have made it my work for these two Moneths past to speak to the several sorts of people in my Congregation and to shew unto every one his duty and how each particular Man and Woman ought to behave themselves both towards God and Man Fourthly Those that dye well must give good counsel to their Friends the Lord grant that the words that I have spoken and am this day to speak may be remembred and practised by you The words of dying men are usually remembred Oh! that the counsels I am now to leave with you may take such deep impression in your hearts that they may never be forgotten I shall take up the greatest part of my time with counsel unto you all and then shall conclude all with the Blessing in my Text The God of love and peace be with you all I shall begin with counsel unto you all in general and what I say to one I say to all therefore attend to the last words of a dying man First See and consider that the dayes of Grace have their last the day long threatned is now come when my preaching and your hearing can be continued no longer so will it be with all your comforts and joyes they will have an end Oh! that you had seriously considered it and prized those opportunities of Grace you have had Secondly Let us heartily bless God for so many years freedom that we have had especially these last three years in sacred Ordinances however those opportunities that we have enjoyed be flighted by man yet they must be reckoned for in the day of the Lord Jesus There have been many of late have staved off Spiritual opportunities and turned their backs upon Ordinances the Lord be merciful to them if they obtain not a pardon woe be to their poor souls I am as sure and as certain to hear these opportunities mentioned in eternity with joy and sorrow as that ever the Sun did shine in the Firmament acknowledge them thankfully and especially remember these last three years about which time I have been with you and have laboured in the publick service of the Church of God amongst you Thirdly Depart not from the truths of God you have already received I may say as St. Paul doth in the first of the Galatians and ver 9. If any preach any other doctrine let him be accursed You must excuse me for want of abilities as others may have yet hath it been my work by the help of the holy Spirit according to my power to teach you out of holy Scripture those things that concerns your everlasting peace Take heed of Antinomianisme and Arminianisme never cease a total dependance on the Grace of Christ and a strict reliance on him alone for life and salvation This hath been my Doctrine from my first beginning even until now 1 John 2.24 Fourthly Oh! let Professours study to honour God Phillippians 4. I have walked amongst you with a sense upon my spirit The Professours in this City have much dishonoured God Oh! let there be zeal sincerity love humility and peace shining in the Professours of this City This is my counsel now I am ready to depart from you that your conversations may be such as becometh the Gospel Fifthly Own God in your Families breed not up Heathens in your Families to be lodged in Hell if no Family Prayer expect no Family Blessing live as those that knows there is a God and would have God to be theirs let not thy family be under a curse which it will be if thou callest not on the name of God Hast thou no care of Childrens and Servants souls it is a sign God hath no care of thine Sixthly Remember to sanctifie the Lords Sabbath breed not up thy