Dæmonologia Sacra; or, A Treatise of Satan's Temptations: In Three PartsGilpin, Richard
Religion
Dæmonologia Sacra; or, A Treatise of Satan's Temptations: In Three Parts
Gilpin, Richard
Devil -- Early works to 1800; Temptation -- Early works to 1800
His Congregation enormously increased—at a bound probably, for, on
the death of William Durant in 1681, his ‘flock’ was received by
Gilpin.[56] Accordingly, in the course of years, he received several
‘helpers.’ One was the excellent William Pell, M.A., who, ‘ejected’
from Great Stainton in 1662, after being ‘seven years minister of a
congregation at Boston,’ removed to Newcastle, where, says Calamy, ‘he
became assistant to Dr Gilpin, and died there, aged 63.’ This was in
1698.[57] Another was Timothy Manlove, M.D., who settled at Pontefract
in 1688, removed to Leeds in 1694, and became assistant to Dr Gilpin in
1698. He died August 3, 1699, and Gilpin preached two ‘Sermons’ before
his funeral, informed by a fine spirit. They were published; and the
title-page will be found in our list of his Writings at close.
As before with the ‘Temple Rebuilt,’ it was only by constraint that
Gilpin issued these Sermons—two in one. ‘The following Discourse,’
he says, ‘was preached without the least thought of offering it to
public view; and yet I was persuaded to yield to the publication of
it to prevent the printing of more imperfect notes.’ The melancholy
duty interrupted a series of Sermons on ‘Striving to enter in at
the strait gate,’ and from Galatians v. 16, ‘This I say then, Walk
in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh;’ but,
he continues, ‘having received an intimation that my dear brother
and fellow-labourer, now deceased, had found such comfort in his
meditations of this scripture in his prospect of death, that he
expressed his desires that his funeral sermon might be upon this text,’
[Romans viii. 35-39,] he had chosen it. I have space for only a very
few sentences from these ‘Sermons’ as follow:—“In all these things we
are more than conquerors.” It is a glorious victory to stand in an
evil day when Satan hath drawn up all his forces against us. It is
a glorious victory not only to escape without loss, but to gain by
his opposition. Thus we outshoot him in his own bow; and all this,
_sine labore et sudore_, easily through Divine assistance, (page 17.)
Again: “We are led by the Spirit” ver. 14. Whether we read the sense
backward or forward it holds true, “as many as are led by the Spirit
are the sons of God,” and “as many as are the sons of God have been and
shall be led by the Spirit,” (page 30.) He pays affectionate tribute
to his departed ‘assistants.’ ‘It hath pleased God Almighty and the
all-wise Disposer of all things to make another breach upon us. It is
not long since he took Mr Pell from us, and now he hath called home Mr
Manlove, both of them excellent men, worthy ministers of the Gospel,
singularly both of them fitted with abilities for their work. They
were successively my dear brethren and fellow-labourers in this part
of God’s vineyard. It must be acknowledged that it is a stroke to be
lamented: and if we look upon the present Providence we may have some
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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