Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A60371
|
[Good advice] and counsel, given forth by Joseph Sleigh of the city of Dublin, in the time of his sickness, to his children. And since his death it being thought fit for the service of others also; therefore it was ordered into print, that other children, &c. may have the benefit thereof
|
Sleigh, Joseph, d. 1683.
|
1683
(1683)
|
Wing S3991; ESTC R220065
|
9,364
|
33
|
AND COUNSEL Given forth by JOSEPH SLEIGH Of the CITY of DUBLIN In the time of his Sickness TO HIS CHILDREN And since his Death it being thought fit for the Service of others also therefore it was ordered into Print that other Children c. may have the Benefit thereof Printed in the Year 1683. Advice from a Father in the time of his Weakness of Body unto his tender Children My dear Children REmember your Creator in the days of your youth in your young years before the Enemy of your Souls draw your Minds out into the Wickedness and Ungodliness of the World to defile your Hearts and Minds with the Wickedness and Profaneness there of and so harden your Hearts in Sin and Ungodliness which will bring Wo and Misery upon your Souls and anguish of Spirit and bitter Lamentation and provoke the Anger of the Lord against you This is the work of the Destroyer of Souls the Devil who goes about like a roaring Lion seeking whom he may devour And no sooner Children grow up to years of understanding but this Enemy comes to tempt them and draw them into evil and into those things which are contrary to the pure Mind and Will of the Lord some into one thing and some into another according as they are naturally inclined some to Wildness and Rudeness some to Pride some to Stubborness and Self-conceitedness some to one vanity and some to another This is the work of the Destroyer Therefore my Children my Advice to you in tender love is that you wait upon the Lord in the stilness and coolness of your Minds in the silence of all flesh or fleshly thoughts or cogitations that you may receive Wisdom and Strength from the Lord to withstand the Enemy of your Souls For as it is written in the Scriptures of Truth They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their Strength for none are able to overcome the Enemy but they that know the renewing of his Strength for of your selves as Christ said you can do nothing and an overcoming there must be or else no entring into that Rest which is without end My dear Children you have immortal Souls that shall never die but shall be sensible either of everlasting Joy and Felicity with the Lord and with the Godly in Generations past in the Kingdom of unspeakable Glory for evermore or for ever feel the Anger and Indignation of the Lord with the wicked and ungodly in the Hell of eternal Wo and Misery which is a deplorable state And as there is but these two states for the Soul to remain in after Death the one Joy and Comfort the other Wo and Misery so there are but two ways the one is the streight and narrow way that leadeth to Life the other the broad way that leadeth to the Chambers of Death So you see there is but one way to Life eternal even the streight and narrow way although you will see many ways in the world one saying this is the way another sort saying nay but this is the way and so various sorts of Religions in the world every one crying up their several Notions to be the way to the City of Peace and Rest which upon your viewing of it in your Minds may raise doubts and cause some Considerations in your Minds And from the considering of things you may reason within your selves Here are many sorts of Ways and Religions in the world and all pretend to be the right way and how shall we do to know the one right way amongst those many ways for there is but one right way and we may spend all our days in running from one Religion to another to find the right way and may miss of it at last and so lay down our heads in Sorrow Answer Christ saith he is the Way the Truth and the Life and it is said in the Scriptures of Truth that Christ enlightens every one that comes into the world And when Christ talked with the Woman at the Well of Samaria about Worship and the place of Worship there being at that day a difference between the Samaritans and the Jews about the place of Worship as appears by the Womans words to Christ when she said Our Fathers worshipped in this Mountain and ye say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship Christ says Woman believe me the hour cometh when ye shall neither in this Mountain nor yet at Jerusalem worship the Father Ye worship ye know not what we know what we worship for Salvation is of the Jews But the hour cometh and now is when the true Worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth for the Father seeketh such to worship him God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth Joh. 4.20 21 22 23 24. So this is the true way to worship the Father set up by Christ Jesus the Shepherd and Bishop of the Souls the spiritual Worship which is to continue And Paul saith what may be known of God is made manifest in man And Christ forbids to run after those who turn peoples minds outward to look for the way to the Kingdom saying lo here or lo there for behold the Kingdom of God in within you Luk. 17.21 Now if the Kingdom be within of necessity must mans Guide be there also as the Apostle says Try your selves prove your selves know ye not how that Christ is in you except ye be Reprobates So here is Christ the way to the Father near in your Hearts to guide teach admonish and reprove and to justifie those that are his faithful followers So if you want Counsel you may wait in the coolness and stilness of your Minds and Counsel you will receive If you be like to faint in your travel Christ the way will be as the Shadow of a mighty Rock in a weary Land If you be thirsty he will be to you as a Well of Water to refresh your Souls If you hunger he will feed you with the Bread of Life and clothe you with his Spirit And if you keep the word of his Patience he will preserve you in the hour of temptation But it may be objected and said How shall we know the Teachings of Christ by his Spirit in our hearts from the Suggestions of the Enemy of our Souls which is also a Spirit Answer That which reproves thee in secret for evil committed by thee when no eye it may be saw thee is the Spirit of Truth which leads into all Truth and Righteousness and leadeth those who give up to be led by it into the paths of Holiness without which none shall see God as faith the Scriptures of Truth and condemns evil thoughts when they arise in the Creature before they come forth to actions and leads men to deny all Ungodliness and worldly Lusts and to live godlily and soberly in this present evil world and teacheth people to be true to God and also to man
of his age AS for our Friend and Brother who is taken hence before us I have this to say of him That ever since I knew him being about fourteen years past since I came to live in Dublin I was sensible his Love and Reality was so much to the blessed Truth he professed as to prefer it before any man or thing he was concerned in For he loved the Honour of the Lord and his pure Truth which never consented to any sin or evil which caused me to have a very near love to and unity with him He stood a faithful Witness in his day according to his Call and Measure against Deceit in Professor and Prosane yet a great Lover of the faithful and desirer of Unity amongst Brethren I never perceived him apt to differ with any about outward things which he accounted trifles in the comparison of the heavenly Riches which I am sensible he much prized and loved to see others prosper therein for my own part in all my Intimacy with him which was very great as I can remember I always found him zealous for Truth his Behaviour being sweetned with the Spirit of Truth he lived and deceased well and was in the long and tedious time of his Sickness born up by the Truth he loved in much comfort and patience waiting the Lords appointed time for his Deliverance into eternal Rest And still his remembrance liveth in my heart and that he is entred into eternal habitation of Rest is sealed in my Spirit and doubtless it 's a good motive and encouragement for the faithful to persevere in well doing to the end that the Crown of eternal Life may be their portion which is not only laid up for him but for all the righteous that love Christs appearance He left his antient Mother and five Children Orphants behind him which he carefully and wisely discharged himself towards as to his outward estate and he having left good Councel and Advice to his Children given forth in Manuscript in the time of his Sickness his said Mother desired it should be put into print which was unanimously agreed to by Friends of our Mens Meeting in Dublin for the Service of them intended and others that may reap benefit thereby The Righteous are taken away from the evil to come and few lay it to heart And though the Lord has taken so servicable a Member from us yet he can raise up more and I hope will whereby his Name and Truth may be honoured upon the Earth not unto us not unto us but unto the Name and Power of the Lord over all be Praises and Renown who is worthy for ever and ever Amen Honest Joseph I loved him very dear For to the Lord of Life he had true fear His Truth he lov'd and all the Righteous Seed But fallers back did make his heart to bleed In sorrowful dolour for the Truths renown That such backsliders had defac'd its Crown Within themselves which made the weak to stumble ' Gainst such blocks the blind's apt to tumble He loved the blind shou'd not be led astray And erring folks be brought to th' right way He loved the Light and brightness of its ray That shined in his Soul of its clear day His Understanding and his Love thereby To God and man was good entirely That God his Honour and that man true Peace He did desire to his very Race But such as of this happiness did bereave Just was his Sorrows and 's Judgments grave To bring them to a sense of their own state T' amend their ways before it was to late His Zeal was well intended for their well And 's Love to God ' gainst whom they did rebel But he is gone to that eternal Bliss Of never ending Joys and so to cease From man who 's breath 's so short that they In little time shall have no more a day His care for Truth and for such souls as these Was very great that they might have true peace And that Gods Name might ever honor'd be And all the saving Truth might love like he His holy Zeal his virtuous Spirit so clean Doth speak aloud what he therein did mean Though fallers back by his zeal has bin crost He did desire not one soul should be lost This is my Testimony of his mind Which by a strict scrutiny I find Tho' he with evil actors could not bear Yet ' gainst the Truth to act he had great fear His Body 's gone yet Praise is left behind So young and real for Truth I desire to find More Joseph's bough over the wall to spread And to the wicked be as great a dread His Counsel to 's Babes doth partly show That of his Spirit I write that I did know And that for all that are now left behind That with his Zeal for Truth any fault may find I do desire for them and all mens parts They may live and dye and have deserts Like him I do through Truth so much commend Who to the truth and mankind was a friend So or the Truth we Self must come to hate That hinders us from a more happy state To love live in truth through all our days By me and all Truths lovers be the praise A S.