Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A82278
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The character of the late Dr. Samuel Annesley, by way of elegy: with a preface Written by one of his hearers.
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Defoe, Daniel, 1661?-1731.
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1697
(1697)
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Wing D829B; ESTC R229675
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5,881
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22
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THE CHARACTER Of the late Dr. Samuel Annesley By way of ELEGY WITH A PREFACE Written by one of his Hearers LONDON Printed for E. Whitlock near Stationers-Hall 1697. Will m Cole Coll Regal Cantab. A. M. The PREFACE I Am very sensible that the Characters of Clergy-Men are the most difficult in the World to be wrote especially with Impartiality and Truth Ministers are but Men as other Men are and Men too as St. Paul said of himself of like Passions with our selves A Truth so sisibly made out now that 't is not every Minister's Life will bear a Character Not that I design to make Reflections upon any nor would I have my Character of one be a Satyr upon others and when I say that few or none does come up to the Character of Dr. Annesley yet I wou'd not be understood as if there were not a great many left whose Eminent Piety and Vertue deserved very great Respect But if I must come to make Distinctions I must say That among the best I neither know nor have heard of one left who can pretend to come up to his Degree in all Points for I am not distinguishing between the Good and the Bad but between the Good and the Best Every Good Minister does not make a Good Man there are thwart Lines in the Dispositions of some of the best which even Grace it self has not the power to ohliterate And the Effects of this are most visible in their relative Conversation Not but that I believe a Man may be of a very ill Temper and yet be a true Christian But I cou'd wish no such were to be Ministers How Beautiful is it to see a Man that is a Minister be also a Gentleman For certainly Good Manners are the most consistent with Christianity of any thing in the World Vanity and Self-esteem on one hand Covetousness and Self-seeking on the other are Things so frequent among our Teachers that never was there more need for us to hear the Word of God without Respect of Persons If this has no other effect 't will certainly raise the Value of such Men who keep themselves unspotted from the like And I do confess this has raised my Esteem for the Memory of Dr. ANNESLEY whose generous Soul had nothing in him that was little or mean of whom I am sure one Line in the Elegy is most particularly true He had no Priest-craft in him nor no Pride He had a native genuine Honesty any thing that was selfish or narrow was really below him as a Gentleman as well as Christian His Temper was so good and his Mind so calm that the meanest Creature in the World might have the freest Conversation with him I think I need make no Apology for the Character as it referrs to him unless it be that I have said too little of him what is weakly express'd is the Error of my Capacity and may be mended by some body else but I have diligently perus'd it and cannot find that I have said any thing that is not really True of him If I have taken any Poetick License I desire to be understood in such a Latitude as such Expressions ought to be taken in I do no where mean that Dr. Annesley was not a Man subject to Frailties or Infirmities or that he was arriv'd to a Perfection in this Life but this I must say He is the only Man of whom I could never hear one Reflection either by Friend or Adversary either while living or since dead He had no Enemies while alive nor has no Scandal or Slander on him now Dead His Vertues we knew his Infirmities none knew but God and himself Nor do I say any where that there have not been or are not Men of more sublime Parts and general Learning tho' he was extraordinary in both For in Learning Mens Excellencies differ as their Genius leads some are more Masters of Polite Language some write siner than they speak some excel in Polemical Divinity some in Controversal some are greater Linguists some greater Logicians some have a soft perswasive Stile some a sublime and some a majestick But these are not Clauses in which I distinguish him so much he had a needful measure of all Practical Divinity was his Business and Cases of Conscience his Study But 't is the Zeal the Candor and Sincerity of his Mind the Largeness of his Charity the Greatness of his Soul the Sweetness of his Temper and the Vastness of his Designs to propagate the Kingdom and Interest of his Master These are the Vertues which I magnifie to such a heighth in Dr. Annesley and for which I believe no Man will think himself reflected on by saying He had no Equal Parties might differ in Judgment and yet all agreed That he was a Good Man whether Conformist or Nonconformist All Lov'd him and he comes under the woe of that Proverb That all Men speak Well of him He was one of those Good Men for which one wou'd even dare to die when for a Righteous Man there is no such Obligation I shall run on no further in his Character here after what has been said of him in the Pulpit his Memory will live in the Minds of all that knew him and those who did not may read something of him in the following CHARACTER D. F. vied a Character of him in Wood's AHâ— Ox Vol 2. p. 966 where it is said histrue Name was Aneley The CHARACTER Of the late Dr. Samuel Annesley By way of ELEGY 'T Was spoke from Heaven the Best of Men must Die No Pattent's seal'd for Immortality Not God's own Favourites can shun the Stroke Even God himself cannot the Law revoke He can't unless he should at once repeal The Eternal Laws of Nature Change his Will Declare his Works imperfect Life restore To all that 's Dead and be a God no more The World whose Nature is to fade and die Must change and take up Immortality And Time which to Eternity rouls on Must change and be Eternity begun All Things must ever live or Man must die The Law 's Supream and Nature must obey How vain then and impertinent is Grief Which nor to Dead nor Living gives Relief Sighs for departed Friends are senseless things Which them no Help nor us no Comfort brings Tears on the Graves where Breathless Bodies lie Our Ignorance or Atheism imply Ashes and Sack-cloth Cries and renting Cloaths Our Folly more than our Affection shows For Grief is nothing properly but Rage And God himself 's the Object we engage Fain we would live without his Negative Which when we can't accomplish then we grieve The Passion 's foolish as it is profane The Action as 't is fruitless and in vain But wou'd you like a Man or Christian grieve When others die be thankful you 're alive Improve the Great Examples you look on And take their Deaths for VVarnings of your own For the best of Men cannot suspend their Fate The Good die early