Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	good_a	read_v	write_v	2,874	5	5.1956	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44075	Two consolatory letters written to the right honorable the Countess of Westmorland The first upon the occasion of the death of Sr Roger Townshend, Baronet: the second upon the death of Mrs Anne Cartwright, Her Honour's children by Sir Roger Townshend, Baronet, her former husband.	Hodges, Thomas, d. 1688.	1669 (1669)	Wing H2324B; ESTC R218018	16,407	30

would make it her business to plead the Cause of the Poor that were sick in the Town and procured sometimes as good Advice for them for nothing as she had her self for Fees Nor yet did the Doctors lose all their Alms this way for she had such an excellent receit-Receit-Book or Store-house of Remedies that she could and did thence sometimes impart to the Physicians as good Counsel as they gave their Patients either with or without a Fee And here give me leave to tell your Ladiship what a Student your Daughter was in the best of receit-Receit-Books the Book of Books the Holy Bible Out of this Dispensatory as the Learned Scribe out of his Treasure she could bring things new and old Salves for the worst that is Soul-Diseases She was a daily reader and due reverencer of the Sacred Scripture She was so great a Proficient in it that she could discourse of the History argue about the Points of Doctrine contained and matter of Duties required in it with Ministers and Doctors She was a Champion for the Truth and was able to chuse such smooth Stones out of this pure Cristal Brook the Holy Scripture and to sling them so as to strike the stoutest Goliah of the Romish Philistines in the fore-head When once there was a discourse with a Papist concerning the lawfulness of Priests Marriage how quickly and appositely did she alledg that of the Apostle Paul to Timothy A Bishop must be the Husband of one Wife 2 Tim. 3.2 Had she lived in former Ages she might better for her knowledg have been admitted into the Council than those Women we read of in our Church-Histories and particularly in Sir Henry Spelman his Conc. Tom. 1. p. 19. She was zealous for the Honour and Authority of the Holy Scripture she liked not that Wits should shew their folly as many too too often do in carping at and criticizing against the Contents of it When any Question in Religion was moved or started she would appeal from Man's Testimony to God's and would have it tried and judged by that and as of old they used to ask Counsel at Abel and so end the Matter or Controversie so was she for having all disputes in Religion to be decided by the Scripture to ask Counsel at that and so to end the Matter or Controversie She had her Senses exercised to discern betwixt Truth and Falshood 'twixt good and bad Doctrine Her Ear could tast words whether sound or unsound as her Pallat meats whether savoury or unsavoury and having tasted the goodness of true Religion she could be zealous for it I remember once I being in dispute with a Romanist and he charging me to be hot she standing by replied suddenly Why should not he be as zealous for his Religion as you are for yours If you ask me how she came to be mighty in the Scriptures with Apollos and to know the way of God so perfectly with Aquilla and Priscilla I answer Her delight was in the Law of God and in that did she read day and night She spent more time daily in adorning her Soul than her Body and made more use of the Scriptures than of any other Mirrour whatsoever She did write many Volumes of Sermons which she heard preached and she read many Printed ones and other Treatises of Divinity which she bought Her daily converse was with good Christians and good Books the Lord's Day she made a Market-day for her soul a Feast a good day for her soul She made Conscience of spending the Lord's Day and would be troubled when hindred from a spiritual improvement of it and complain at night she had lost a day She scrupled unnecessary sending her Servants abroad on that day or uncharitable keeping them at home and debarring them the liberty of hearing God's Word She offered the sacrifice of Prayer for her Children like Job Resolved that no ungodly swearing or drunken persons should tarry in her house like David And again with Joshua That she and her House would serve the Lord. She was for the Marrow Quintessence the Life and Soul of Religion not only zealous for or against Ceremonies but for the substance of God's Worship and Service She had I think a good if not the best temper viz. an indifferent temper as to things indifferent in Religion She refused not to hear Divine Service read though in a Surplice nor a Bishop preach though in a Rochet and yet was not for persecuting those who really scrupled either having a tender Conscience her self though not a scrupulous one She was very tender of pressing upon others Consciences She was not like those narrow Souls who like or love none but of their own Way or Party Humour or Fancy but had a general kindness for good Christians of all Perswassons She loved indeed sound solid and affectionate Preaching she liked not a Minister should freeze in his Study all the Week and sweat in the Pulpit on the Lord's Day nor that he should sweat in his Study and freeze in the Pulpit nor without good reason for that which comes from the heart is most likely to go to the heart and he that is most perswaded of and affected with what he speaks himself is most likely to perswade and affect others And as she had chosen her daily-walk in the King of Heaven's High-way her self so did she desire not to go alone but in company and in the company of her nearest Relations Children and Servants She taught her Daughter that was capable of learning the fear of the Lord to read the Scriptures to learn her Catechism to pray betimes and she made it her great request upon her Death-bed That her Children might be brought up religiously and disposed of when fit for marriage rather into good than great Families Religion was alive in her and she was not willing it should dye with her but be propagated and flourish in the Family when she was dead She professed a great love to Truth and 't is the Character which the God of Truth gives to his People They will not lye though they be belyed by the Father of Lyes and falsly reported of to the contrary The Law of Chastity was in her Looks and in her Lips I never heard an obscene impure word come out of her Lips She could blush for other Women that could not for themselves Her care was for her self and her counsel to others To avoid not only shame but blame and not only all faults but suspition and not only to do no evil but not to be thought to do any She used neither Art nor Sin to make her appear beautiful nor any rich and costly attire to make her brave Her Apparel and Dress was rather below than above her Estate and Quality She was a lover of her Friends and would deny her self to serve and help them She would own a Friend in Adversity She was not as many great ones are so high as to despise a Relation in a low

estate and had it been as much in her Power as it was in her Will there should no Friend have stood in need of any other but her self She was Generous and Noble and loved Hospitality and Bounty She kept an House for ordinaries and extraordinaries all things considered far beyond many her Equals and Superiors in Estate and yet did not undo her self or Husband It was a declared Maxim of hers which she experimented in part her self That good House-keeping undoes no body She was used to reward well those who did ought for her and she was charitable to and beyond her power to those who could do nothing but pray for her If it had pleased God she had come to that great Estate to which she was I may say contracted by her marriage to the Heir of it she had a Principle which put in practice as 't is not to be doubted but it would of making Conscience to reward old Servants I remember her alledging that place in discourse to that purpose Thou shalt not send him away empty Deut. 15.12 13. The desire of her soul was towards God and the remembrance of his Holiness She desired to fear God's Name and delighted in them that feared him Her great design and aim was to serve God and save her soul and though she had her weaknesses and failings as the Moon hath her spots yet her desire and endeavour was Not to remain alway under the power of them She her self would not take the righteousness of the righteous from him for one failing but would still have a charity and good word for good people even when they had disobliged her God and men judg of men and women not as they are sometime in a Paroxism or a transport of passion but according as the pulse of their souls beats constantly towards God and Goodness We read in the Book of Job Will the Hypocrite pray always That is He will not pray always And again The hope of the hypocrite is like the spiders web and like the giving up of the Ghost but the righteous hath hope in his death We may conclude hence then That your Daughter had hope in her death and that your Ladiship is not to mourn for her as one without hope When her Father-in-law coming to visit her the day before she dyed said Daughter I hope all will be well meaning a safe delivery from the pains of Child-birth she replied It will be best or better for me if I dye And if it be considered how she offered up strong cryes and prayers with tears in her extremity to him that was able to pardon and save her we need not doubt but conclude That as she lived God's Servant so she dyed his Servant and not a jot the less for her judging and condemning her self for a grievous sinner and with the Apostle Paul for the worst of sinners having in the constant course of her life for many years approved her self none of the least of Saints We have better evidence of her being saved than that she dyed in Child-bed nor again is it any evidence that she wanted saving-faith because she dyed in Child-bed for we read in Scripture but of two Women who dyed in Child-bearing and they were both godly Women viz. Rachel the beloved Wife of the Patriarch Jacob and the Wife of Phineas the Priest 1 Sam. 4.19 Nor had she only the Graces of a good Woman but I may say of her as a Noble Lord said many years since of her dear Sister now also with God That she had three good properties of a good Wife She was fruitful and frugal and loving to her Husband She was so good and kind a Mother to her Children that many thought her too good Sure I am That it could not be charged upon her as it is upon some Parents That they are without natural affection or that her heart was hardened toward her young I rather suppose that if all young women had been like her the Apostle Paul would hardly have given it in charge to Timothy to lesson old women to teach the young ones to love their Children To conclude her Character as to her Verues and Graces I may say of her She pondered God's Word with the blessed Virgin Mary Believed with the Woman of Canaan was Charitable and Pious with Mary Magdalen Attending to Preaching with Lydia and to come to her own Family let me say She had the Courage and Piety of her Grandfather the Lord Horatio Vere Baron of Tilbury the Charity and Bounty of her Father Sir Roger Townshend the Zeal of her Brother Sir Roger for God good men and good Ministers And now Madam with your Favour let me tell them that never saw her face if this Paper ever come to their hands That her Soul dwelt in a decent habitation and that her Picture if she would have been prevailed with to have sate as was desired by her Father-in-law and Husband a little before her lying in would have been a good Picture and some comfort though a shadow in comparison to her Friends and Children It is the observation of an ingenuous person That though in the Old Testament express notice be taken of the Beauty of many Women as of Sarah Rebecca Rachel c. yet in the New-Testament no mention is made of the fairness of any Woman not because they wanted saith my Author but because Grace is the Gospel-beauty And so Madam let me conclude her Character She was a Gentlewoman of great Parts of a very quick Wit of a ready Tongue and Pen few Women to my knowledg equalled her and I knew not any in these things that excelled her She was a Gentlewoman of Person sufficiently fair amiable and comely but yet her greatest perfection beauty and excellency was more than a skin-deep Fairness And thus Madam I have adventured or essayed at least to give your Ladiship a Character of your Daughter Mrs. Cartwright and therein I hope no small ground of comfort for your great loss because the greater is your loss the greater is her gain And further Let it be some alleviation to your Ladiship 's sorrow That as she lived not undesired so she dyed not unlamented Your Honour hath many in divers Orbs that sympathize with you in this Loss Whilst she was in her Pains she had the Cares Prayers and Tears of her Husband Father Friends and Servants about her and after her death hath been lamented by her Relations at home and Acquaintance and Strangers abroad Madam It is likely a matter of sorrow and grief to your Ladiship to think how her Sun set at Noon that she dyed in the midst of her days that the Pains of Child birth ended in the Pangs of Death and that the Childs entrance into the World was so near accompanied with the Mothers exit or going out of it Again That she left the World without leaving a Son behind her and the rather too because she had four Sons gone to