Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A30268
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Christians earnest expectation and longing for the glorious appearing of the great God and our saviour Jesus Christ set forth in a discourse occasioned by the decease of that excellent Christian and minister of Christ Mr. Noah Webb ... / by Daniel Burgess.
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Burgess, Daniel, 1645-1713.
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1675
(1675)
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Wing B5693; ESTC R25737
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17,416
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57
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discerning Christians were both True and great Except but his humble self I challenge all that read me to name that competent judg of him who ever thought him either no Saint or no Excelling one His dear Yokefellow tells me that she was inform'd by himself that 's Conversion was wrought in Oxford Blessed Soul to whom the Holy Ghost the Author and special In-worker of all Gifts 1 Cor. 12. gave Art and Grace Divine and Humane Learning in the same place The Vigilant Masters of the Literate Societies there do sadly know how very many come away from them without bringing either Sarah or Hagar Grace I mean or Learning with them and how many more that get the Handmaid of Philosophy obtain not more than the Shadow or Shape of the Mistress Divinity Thrice-Blessed our dear Brother to whom Free Grace vouchsafed Capacitating Nature Polishing Art and Accomplishing Grace now it self Accomplished in Glory Thirdly His Ministerial Labors and Painfulness in the Lord's work were extraordinary He did not only more than others do Do but more than he himself could Do with his health consulted for The Devil knows to his wo how unweariedly he labour'd to get Souls out of his hands and how many he got too No doubt but the hundreds made partakers of his Pains give the Lord thousands and ten-thousands of Praises with thanksgiving for them Lions in the way of duty seem'd no Lions to him Though wisely Zealous he was daringly Good I had almost said Desperately For even then would he Labour when he had no hope of avoiding the weakning consequents of it to his feeble Consumptive body Oh that they were not able to forbear Imitating his holy industry who will not be able to forbear Praising it Ay and it may be coveting the Praise of it too Now to you my Brethren to whom his painfulness was so well known by you of any Souls let it not be unimitated God my God perswade you to be such as he perswaded you to be and to Labour in the Word and Practice of it as he laboured in the Word and Doctrine and joynt-practice of it Let not his Counsels or Example dye with him The Jews have a saying that No day hath in it any so good a Man dying but it hath as good a one born on it I pray God it may prove true of the day of our Blessed Brother's death Recall recall I charge you before God and the elect Angels recall his heavenly Instructions Beg beg on bended knees the Holy Ghost to bring to your Remembrance those Teachings that he sent you by him Shall I give you some particular Hints which the Lord 's good Providence hath enabled me to do by a sight of some Notes kindly communicated by his Widow hear I beseech you and with Solemn attentiveness 1. Excellently he taught you the Vanity and Nothingness and less than nothing of all that can be taught besides the knowledg of Jesus Not to use his own words the Carnal the Historical or General knowledg of Christ but the spiritual particular heart and Life-reforming and transforming knowledg He shew'd you 't was in Jesus that all the Attributes of God did Shine that 't was to Jesus all the Types Ceremonies Legal washings c. of old and all the Prophecies and Promises ever given of God pointed that Life-eternal in the End the excellent End whereof knowledg of Christ is the excellent and only means that this knowledg of Christ is 1. Revealed 2. Certain and 3. Sweet Savory knowledg He rows'd you to the Trial by heart-search whether you had this knowledg And directed you to try by a Consideracy of the Causes and Effects All this from that text 1. Cor. 2.2 2dly He shew'd you likewise what you are till you come to the foresaid knowledg of Christ Even Children of wrath and Alienated and Enemies to God in your minds by wicked works both from Ephes 2.3 and Col. 1.2 He told you and proved that you and all the world no man save God-man excepted are by Natural Propagation sinful Sinful not by imitation only though very much but 1. by nature and 2. universally all men and in all of man He shew'd how 1. Fruitful of sin and misery this sin of Nature is How 2. Powerful it self a Law Rom 7.23 and making your Souls Lawless 3. How Fierce and Furious 4. How Vnavoidable 5. How yet Voluntary Inherent in the Will and making men Wilfully to sell themselves to sin and Satan He made it plain to you that unsanctified men are Gods Enemies Haters of God as 't is Rom. 1.30 They Enemies to God and God an Enemy to them He shew'd you wherein mens Enmity to God appeareth In their Opposition to his Will 2. Their hatred and Opposition to his Saints and Servants and Friends 3 And their Friendship with Gods Enemies to wit Devil World and Sin Also 1. How unreasonable this Enmity is how 2. Vnprofitable and 3. how Destructive 3dly He set forth the blessed Doctrine the Soul of the Gospel of Christs being Peace-maker 'twixt God and Man And that 1. by Perchase bearing the Chastisement of our Peace as Isai 53. 2. by the Tendring of puâ—chased Peace to poor Souls and 3. by Conquering the Enmity of the heart and making Souls willing to be Reconciled to God 4ly Incitingly and Invitingly to your Reconciliation unto God he sâ—ew'd you 1. That Reconciliation unto God is a mercy highly to be valued much to be desired and endeavoured after And 2. that taking hold of God in Christ is the only and certain means of Reconciliation with God And 3. to such laying hold on God are required 1. Conviction of the unableness of all beside Jesus to satisfie Gods Justice 2. Sense of your inability to save your selves and to lay hold on Christ offered 3. Faith of Christ's All-sufficiency 5. Letting go of your hold of all other things which may hinder resting on him 6. Speedy laying hold on him as offered in the Gospel and 7. Union with him Spiritual Union by Faith He told you you had 1. Gods word yea 2. Gods Oath for your peace on these terms This on Isai 27.5 5ly Hereupon God directed him to tell you that as he made it his work it is the work of Ministers to perswade sinners to accept of Christ as their Husband And that whereas unto Marriage there 's requir'd Consent of Parents and consent of Parties God the only Parents willing Christ the one Partie's willing the query is whether the Sinner be willing He told you you must consent 1. Vnderstandingly 2. Freely 3. Presently 4. Vniversally and Perpetually And come unto a 1. Real a 2. Spiritual and 3. Total Union with Jesus and 4. an Indissoluble one one never to be broke off by any threatning or bribing Temptation To Conclude he further shewed you Christ is the only way to Justification and Sanctification and Glory and excellently displaid before you how altogether Lovely his beloved now fully enjoyed Jesus is Of the which though I can Hint no more I pray God bring much more to your Remembrance Consideration Practice and Delight I am most certain if the good Spirit of Grace shall Powerfully set home these Instructions and Counsels Dead hearts among you shall live and they that have spiritual Life shall have it more abundantly and the Jewish maxim aforesaid will be verisied and more even exceeded Not one only but many shall be born to God and made to encrease with the encreases of God and fitted as our Blessed Dear Brother for an entrance into the Kingdom of God Amen and Amen FINIS
do verily say it Away to your Closets and the places of your Retiracy and ask your Souls in such manner as this each of you Oh my never-dying Soul Qu. 1. Sayest not thou of this world of this valley of sin and sorrow and Temptation and absence from the Lord as Peter of the mount It 's good to be here Mat. 17.4 Qu. 2. Art thou not at ease in Sion fat at heart a Gallio and careless for the sins and miseries abroad in the world As of old Noah's Soul art thou vexed with them from day to day 2 Pet. 2.8 Qu. 3 Art thou looking expecting and waiting for that blessed hope and the glorious appearance of the great God and thy Saviour Jesus Christ Tit. 2.13 Dost look for and hasten to it as 't is 2 Pet. 3.12 Dost joyn with the Souls under the Altar in their cry for the cutting off all delays Rev. 6.10 Doth the Holy Spirit in thee and thou as Christs bride say come as 't is Rev. 22.17 Qu. 4. Dost thou live like one that doth and may say safely say Amen! How is that That is doing thy Gods will with diligence and suffering it with Patience and so Cleaving to Jesus a Saviour that thou mayst not need to fear him a Judg as St. Austin speaks Vse 3. It writes in Sun-beams the blessed Estate of the truly Godly 〈…〉 seems have in this world 〈…〉 that 's more worth than all 〈…〉 the wallings Enjoyments and have 〈◊〉 Coming beyond measure 〈…〉 imagination good They are Souls acquainted with and interested in the Heir of all things They have an assured Hope of a good Day of his bringing when Flames fed with rivers of brimstone and the wrath of God shall mercilesly devour all besides As well the formal Hypocrite and empty Professor as the Prophanest rakehel Helhound that ever lived Oh Blessed thrice Blessed Souls without peradventure If they can say Amen to Christs Coming and long even for that day of Fire tell me whereof they need be afraid or what in this world need they be very sollicitous for who are so well provided for the next I have with my own ears heard Persons of Honour and huge estate and substance in the world profess that they would give all and Life it self too for ability to say with the Church of God this Amen! Nor wonder I any more than if they should say they would give a pebble for a rock of Diamonds or a nutshel for the spice-Islands Sith the prophane and Hypocritical World have not the grace to Love Saints I will never wonder that they Envy them It can't be strange that a Happiness so great is Envied though 't is sad that it 's not rather learn'd and sought for Seek it oh my Brethren Wrestle humbly with God Fight flesh World and Devil Rest not till your Longings for Jesus his Coming are restless and Mr. Herbert's ejaculation stirs daily in and springs forth from your Souls to Jesus Christ Oh come thou down to me Or take me up to Thee Need you Motives hereunto Sirs your hearts are deceitful the World 's Temptation-full Devils that in Nature be spirits in Number be many in place be so neer you in Power be Lions in Policy be serpents in industry be restless in malice be implacable in Plots and all Projects be soul-strikers Devils I say are Opposition-full your Lives be short and most uncertain your Deaths be at hand Gods judgment is just and unavoydable Heaven's infinitely desirable Hell is as dreadful and Eternity is boundless to very astonishment Unto all which add you this The day of Grace is far spent The Night 's at hand wherein no man can work God is apace taking up to himself his Embassadors An Observation-worthy token that he intends not much longer to await your Motion The Prophets do not live for ever Zech. 1.5 Yea neither doth God suffer them many of them to live out so many years as the people ordinarily do Hereof the Servant and Minister of Christ whose Translation we lament * Mr. Noah Web. is an instance I need not superadd Blessed Jo. Alleine Janeway Hen. Blake Si. Barret and others Methinks the late Translation of the first named whose Memory is so justly Precious to you should be more than ordinary Impressive on you I hope you forget not but will ever remember how much his 1. Providential succession to the Chrysostom of this age and most Powerful Preacher driven from you his 2. Unwearied pains and heavenly Teachings among you also his 3. Conversation and holy Life so passing Exemplary to you how much all these do add to your Accounts at Gods bar 'T were a foul and fearful mistake if any should dream that they had answer'd all these by procuring and attending his Funeral Sermon Alas that must be done by holding in Mind and Practice his own more Powerful ones Nevertheless-of this in particular and all Funeral-Sermons I am of Renowned Ro. Bolton's mind which he hath left in these words Discourse of true happiness Pag. 63. Neither do I mislike Funeral Sermons I could rather wish that as the death of his Saints is precious in the sight of God So that it might be glorious in the eyes of men I could rather desire that the just Praises and true sincerity of the child of God were published by some seraphical tongue that both the Glory of his Graces might pass along and shine bright to all Posterity and that such a Zeal for imitation might be inkindled in the hearts of all the hearers especially the present occasion making their minds more capable of perswasion that they passing through the same course of Holiness might at length be made partakers of the same happiness with the Saints of God Indeed if this stroke of Providence taking away him who so often in Journeying and in Perils so much in Weariness Painfulness Watchings c. laboured to espouse you to Christ Jesus if this work not your minds into any more easie Perswadableness if due Consideracy of Blessed Mr. WEBS Sanctity kindle not in you any fire for Zeal of imitation I shall reasonably esteem it portending and judg 't highly probable that God will follow you with more such blows take away more of your Ministers who I can assure you are many of them very willing to be gone yea and by such Obduracy of yours will be made more willing The Obduracy of one Congregation within twenty miles of this place made a most excellent Minister of Jesus Christ profess to me that his Ejection in the year 1662. Mr. S. S was unto him as the taking off of a heavy burden from tir'd shoulders So weary so heavy-laden so broken was his gracious Soul for his peoples unbrokenness An eminent one in the City of Dublin in Ireland hath oft told me his heart and oft in these words Dr. D. R. I am certain I am as willing to die as God will allow me to be He himself I think feared I