Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A86400
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The [H]istory of the [l]ife and death [of] that antient father of the church, [D]r. Joh. Thauler [who] lived at Colen [sic] in Germany in the year of [Ou]r Lord, 1346, where he was in a [m]iraculous manner turned from his vain conversation to an extraordinary degree [of] holiness of life : [toge]ther with many of his precepts ... / [f]aithfully translated out of Latine.
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1663
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Wing H2167A; ESTC R43640
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67,974
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161
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in a marriage league And taking both the Bridegroom and the Bride leads them both together to the Temple and joyns them mutually to himself and with so strong and great a mutual nuptial love doth couple and bind them one to the other that neither in time nor in eternity can they ever more be put asunder or separated one from the other Now whilst these nuptials are celebrating the Son the Bridegrom saith to his Father Eternal and most loving Father whom will it please you shall be our Cup-bearer and Comptroller of our nuptial Feasts The Father made answer and said This office and business belongs to the Holy Ghost and he shall be the Governour of the Feast that day Presently without any delay that Magnificent Highest and Most adorable Cup-bearer gives the Spouse to drink and take off such an overflowing Cup of Love that she is wholly overflowed and drowned in Charity and altogether flowes forth and is dissolved and melted into her Bridegroom And falling into an Exstasie she becomes so drunk even with over much Love that she looseth and forgetteth her self and all other Creatures both such as are in time and such as are in Eternity For truly beloved whoever attaineth to these nuptials the same then first is arrived at the very true solemnity of joys indeed and of Eternal nuptials And whosoever is made such a Spouse such a one is become a true Worshipper adoring the Father in Spirit and Truth John 4 and the same hath found peace and joy in the Holy Ghost For verily in these nuptials there is joy upon joy as also there the peace is greater and Triumphant joy more abundant in one hour then all Creatures whether in time or in Eternity can make For the joy which the Spouse here takes in her Bridegroom and receives from him is such and so great that no Reason no Sense can possibly understand it attain to it or be capable of it At these words One cryed out with a lond voyce It is true it is true it is true And immediatly fell to the Earth as if he had been dead At which sight a certain Woman spake aloud to the Doctor give over Master Doctor or else this man will give up the Ghost in our arms The Doctor answeared Well dearly beloved if it seems good to the Bridegroom to take away with him this Spouse we ought willingly to leave her to him But be ye silent a little while for I shall even now make an end Let us all I beseech you dearly beloved let us all with one consent lift up our voyces unto Heaven unto the Lord imploring his mercy For truly it is a thing extreamly to be bewailed by us that we should be made such Fools so dull and sottish as that notwithstanding we are none of us ignorant how we are all called the Spouses of God yet scarce one of us or very rarely hath the courage to hazard his Nature in manfully following the Bridegroom until he be found worthy to be made partaker and taste by experience somewhat at least of the wonderfull and most pleasant solemnization of these supream Triumphs and most happy nuptials Verily in these latter times there are but few such found as do in truth go forth to meet the Bridegroom such as of old time there were many Wherefore it exceedingly concerns every one to examine and seriously and diligently to try himself and to have a vigilant care of himself For now the time draws near and is even at the door when the greatest part of men will indeed have Eyes and yet see not and Ears and yet hear not Wherefore now my dearly beloved come on let us all do our utmost endeavour to come to the experiencing of these most pleasant even too too happy nuptials Bâ—… that I may pursue my purpose come to a conclusion After that the Bridegroom and the Bride are gone asunder withdrawn each from other the Bride again coming to her self perceives that she is yet left in this time of exile she saith to her self Ah me miserable wretch am I here again And begins to be somewhat sad But she is now so modest so sunk into the depth of humility and finally so perfectly and fundamentally resigned to her Bridegroom that she durst in no measure think of the injoying or desiring his company for she very well knowâ—s that she is altogether unworthy of it Notwithstanding the Bridegroom neglects not ever now and then to have an Eye upon his fair beloved and dearest Bride knowing full well that none can comfort her but himself And now in the winding up of my Discourse let me give you this caution dearly Beloved Let it not seem strange unto you what I have said unto you touching the Discourse which the Bridegroom and the Bride have with one another Certainly no man can believe except he have had experience of it what strange kind and unheard of Discourses the Bride hath with the Bridegroom Nevertheless the Holy Scriptures also oft make mention how a loving and devoted Soul Discourses with the Bridegroom and in such a manner that her words hardly will bear sense with them Which also sometimes happens even at this day namely that the Bride useth such expressions to the Bridegroom that if any one heard them he would certainly say she were either drunk or mad But I fear Beloved I am too tedious God therefore and our Lord Jesus Christ the true Bridegroom grant that we may be all made his true Spouses and be able to go forth to meet him in true and great Humility and deep and perfect resignation of our selves to him to the Praise and Glory of the Almighty God Amen Of certain wonderful Things which befel some upon the Hearing the foregoing Sermon which afterwards were understood From whence we may take notice How great things God worketh by fit Instruments namely by the Sermon of any one Illuminated Mans much more then by the Sermons of an hundred others THIS Sermon being ended the Master went into the Temple dispatched Divine Service and administred the Holy Sacrament of the Lords Body to very many good men But in the Garden of the Monastry there remained sitting above fourty men Which thing the Layman had taken notice off And when the Sacrament was ended coming to the Doctor he told him of it and taking him with him led him to the place where he might see it But in the mean time whilst the Master was administring the Sacrament all were risen except twelve whom they found sitting there still When the Master saw this he said to the Layman Dear Son what shall we do to these men Then the Layman went to them and touched and jogged them one by one but they felt nothing and seemed to be no otherwise then dead At which the Master did not a little wonder for he had never seen any such thing in the least before And saith again to the Layman Think you
prepared for his pure and naked essence for so it is necessary that the soul be naked and empty that it may be capable of his secret misteries Wherefore there is a necessity that every one endeavor to cut off all those things in which he findeth any thing of Self Of the DEATH of the MASTER and how after his Departure he appeared to his Friend the LAYICK giving him an account of his severe and horrible departure out of the body declaring that he endured that instead of his Purgatory and also assuring him of that huge Joy and everlasting Felicity which he had obtained from God by means of his wholsome Doctrine HEre we must by no means let passe how the oft before-mentioned Master did daily make proficiency in a true humble and spiritual life and encreased very much in vertue Yea verily he was made so prudent in the grace of God that whatever was to be done in that City or Country where he dwelt whether it had been Spiritual or Secular all much desired to make use of his Counsel and Wisdom because he was acceptable to them and they had confidence in him and puttrust in him and did obey his counsels He made also very many Sermons as well to Secular as Spiritual men after the form of those which we have already above recited And when he had laudably finished nine years in this so profitable and fruitful life and as it is said was acceptable and dear unto all in all that Country and Town These nine years being finished it pleased the most high God to receive unto himself this his Servant and beloved Friend and no longer to leave him in this exile And because he had decreed to translate him to the celestial Mansions without Purgatory he suffered him to fall into grievous and lasting pain and sickness of body so that he lay for twenty weeks sick of a Palsie and suffered very sharp torments When twenty weeks were now expired he by Divine Grace understood not obscurely that within a few dayes he should depart this world and that God would put an end to his torments Knowing this he desired his servants that they would take care to bring his Layick unto him and that they should acquaint him with his approach and departure and that he had no small desire to have him present with him when he died Without delay when the Layick knew hereof obeying the Master he came to him speedily and being very familiarly received he enquired how it was with him To whom the Master answered Truly I think that that day is not very far off wherein the Lord will take me out of this world Wherefore you may know that it will be very acceptable to me and no lesse comfortable if you will vouchsafe your presence with me when I die But saith he I would entreat you that you will take those Paper Books in which you shall find diligently written all whatever hath for a long time been spoken or transacted between us There is also something of my Life some things which God vouchsafed to work by me his miserable and unworthy Servant And if you shall see fit and the Lord grant leave compile them all into one little Book To these things the Layick gave this Answer Behold Sir I have by me five of your Sermons which I writ from your mouth if therefore you think fit I will put them in among your other Writings that of them all one little Volumn may be put forth under your Name To whom the Master answered I entreat and beseech you dear son with as much love as I am able That you put not out any thing for my sake nor under my name Neither indeed are they mine neither would I they should be known either in my life or after my death But they are all Gods who vouchsafed to do them by me a miserable wretch But yet if you do think that it may be profitable to my neighbours and make for their edification to publish those things I am not against it but that they may be set forth only with this caution that you mention not me or my name But you may write after this manner to wit The Master said or did this or that alwayes concealing my name But be careful of this that when you have compiled this Book you deliver it to no body in this City to read lest peradventure they should apprehend it to be mine but rather carry it away with you into your Country Finally the Master had many other good discourses with his Layick for eleven dayes together even to the hour wherein he gave up the ghost When that hour was come he said thus to he Layick I would fain dear son have on your part your consent That if it shall please God I may return unto you in spirit after my Death To whom the Layick answered If it shall said he seem good unto God I shall like it well that his will may be done in this matter Moreover when the Master was even at the point of death falling into an Agony he expressed such horrible and fearful gestures that his Brethren and as many as were present from the sight of those gestures fell into no small fear affright and sorrow And so at last he ended his last hour as much as can be gathered from external signs with great horror And when he was now dead almost all the City were moved because he was exceeding dear to them all universally Furthermore when as some of that place had taken notice how familiarly the oft-mentioned Layick stuck to him to the last they went about to honour him and invite him to their feasts But when he perceived this he presently fled from the City into his own Country Being onward upon his journey and travelling now upon the third day about Sun-set he came to a certain Village And because he could not farther travel by reason it began to be dark neither could find in that Village any publick Inn he requested a certain honest man whom by chance he met in the way to lodge him and his servant and bid him take of him what he pleased To whom the man answered that he was ready with a willing mind to do what he desired if he would accept of such entertainment as he could make him and accordingly took them in to lodge them he lodged the Layick after the best fashion he could but brought his servant into a barn upon straw After they were layen down the Layick being awake in the night heard a kind of slender voice near him yet could see nothing thereby he began to be a little affrighted Then the voice speak to him thus Fear not dear son for I am the Master When the Layick heard this he said I would very willingly know of you Sir if at least it be the will of the Lord how it is with you and what was the cause that as far as we could perceive you finished your life so horribly and fearfully Verily some of your Brethren began as it were to doubt of you and truly I fear lest your severe end hath offended some of them To which the voice of the Master answered thus I will even now open those things to you Be certain it was so decreed of God that my soul assoon as it was gone out of my body should be received by the holy Angels and by them be defended from the Devils that they should bring me no further trouble nor that I should any more see them nor have any thing more to do with them afterwards And therefore it behoved me to shut up my life with so fearful an end and to undergo it instead of Purgatory And in truth the malignant spirits did bind me fast with so great perplexities and did assault me with such subtile and crafty falacies and deceits that I thought I should have utterly despaired And if my voice had not been taken away I had sent forth such cryes that it had been wonderfull to have seen my calamity hence might my Agony which my Brethren did discern have been taken notice of But God Almighty rendered me a plentiful reward for that pain and torment for as soon as my soul was gone out of my body it was received by the holy Angels who brought it into Paradise telling me that there I must wait five dayes without fear or care neither fear that the Devil should henceforth do me any mischief and finally that I should undergo no more labour only I should want for those five dayes the glorious society of the heavenly Inhabitants which being performed I should be wholly clean and that then they would return with joy and bring me with great exaltation into inestimable never to be ended joyes More than this dear son enquire nothing of me for I have now told you what-ever I can tell you neither have I any licence to adde any thing further But I beseech my God that he would blesse you and that he would be your eternal rewarder in everlasting joyes for that faithful Instruction and wholsom Counsel you gave me Then the Layick said I beseech you my honored Master when you shall come unto God earnestly intercede with him for me After that whatever the Laick did either ask or speak it was in vain neither could he get so much as one answer more from him Which when he perceived he endeavoured as much as he could to take a little rest but in vain for he could not sleep one wink and so lay awake impatiently expecting day Day breaking he took his Pen and diligently wrote to the Prior and Brethren of the dead Master how he had appeared unto him and all his words he had spoke to him The eternal Truth our Lord JESUS CHRIST grant to us that we may conform our selves to his lovely and dilectable Image and follow it to our utmost power to his praise and glory Amen To God Almighty thanks FINIS