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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
reason_n	great_a	part_n	world_n	4,106	5	4.3735	3	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26152	A discourse occasion'd by the death of the Right Honourable the Lady Cutts by Francis Atterbury ...	Atterbury, Francis, 1662-1732.	1698 (1698)	Wing A4149; ESTC R35288	17,784	48

Passages of Holy Writ which She took notice of were indeed commonly such as related either to the Concerns of her Spiritual Estate or to Matters of Prudence but it appears also that She spent some time in mediating on those places where the sublimest Points of Christian Doctrine are contain'd and in possessing her self with a deep sense of the wonderful Love of God towards us manifested in the mysterious Work of our Redemption for She had something more than what in the Language of this Loose Age is call'd a Lady's Religion She endeavour'd to understand the great Articles of our holy Faith as well as to Practise the good Rules of it and She sensibly found that the best way to excite her self to the practise of the one was to endeavour to understand the other And this Book of God She was more particularly conversant in on God's day a Day ever sacred to Her and which therefore wore always in Her Family a Face of Devotion suitable to the Dignity of it It was truly a day of Rest to all under her Roof her Servants were then dismiss'd from a good part of their attendance upon Her that they might be at liberty to attend on their great Lord and Master whom both She and They were equally bound to obey There was such a Silence and Solemnity at that time observ'd by all about her as might have become the House of Mourning and yet so much Ease and Serenity visible in their Looks at least in Her Looks there was as shew'd that They who were in quick and sensible concern at any thing which She thought it did not become either Her to hear or others to say True Piety which in great measure consists in an Humility and Submission of mind towards God is attended always with Humility and Goodness also towards his Creatures and so it was in this Excellent Lady Never was there a more deep and unfeign'd and artless Lowliness of Mind seen in her Rank and Station as far as she was placed above the Most of the World yet She convers'd as it were upon the level with All of 'em and yet when She stoop'd the lowest towards them She took care even at that time to preserve the Respect that was due to her from them She had so much true Merit that She was not afraid of being look'd into and therefore durst be familiar and the worst effect of that familiarity was that She was better known by it and by consequence more lov'd and valu'd Not only No one of her Inferiors ever came uneasie from her as has been said of some Great ones but so assur'd were all before-hand of her sweetness of Temper and obliging reception that no one ever went uneasie to her When She open'd her Lips Gracious Words always proceeded from thence and in her Tongue was the Law of Kindness Her Reservedness and Love of Privacy might possibly be misinterpreted sometimes for an Overvalue of her self by those who did not know her but the least degree of Acquaintance made all those Suspicions vanish For tho' her Perfections both of Body and Mind were very extraordinary yet She was the only Person in the World that seem'd without any endeavour to seem insensible of ' em She was 't is true in as much danger of being Vain as great Beauty and a good natural Wit could make her but she had such an over-ballance of Discretion that She was never in pain to have the one seen or the other heard Indeed This was particular to her and a very distinguishing part of her Character that She never studied appearances nor made any advances towards the Opinion of the World being contented to be whatever was good or Deserving without endeavouring in the least to be thought so and this not out of any affected disregard to Publick Esteem but meerly from a Modesty and Easiness of Nature which made her give way to others who were more willing to be observ'd And yet She had also her Hours of Openness and Freedom when her Soul eas'd it self to Familiars and Friends and then out of the good Treasure of her Heart what good things did She bring forth Her Mouth was at such times in the Comparison of Solomon a Well of Life which ever sent forth such pure and sweet Streams as pleas'd the Senses and refresh'd the Hearts of all that drank at ' em So that a doubt it is which was most to be admir'd in her what She did or what She did not say It was wonderful that One who when She pleas'd could discourse so fitly and so freely should yet choose to be silent on so many occasions it was as wonderful that She who was so often silent should whenever She spake charm all that heard her We may be sure that She who had such a command over her Tongue kept no less strict and watchful a Guard upon her Passions those especially of the Rough and Troublesome kind with which She was scarce ever seen to be disquieted She knew not what the Disorders of Anger were even on occasions that might seem to justifie and to require it as much as She hated Vice She chose rather to look it out of countenance than to be severe against it and to win the Bad over to the side of Vertue by her Example than by her Rebukes Her sweet Deportment toward Those who had the happiness to be with her could be outdone by nothing but her tenderness in relation to the Absent whom She was sure to think and speak as well of as was possible and when their Character was plainly such as could have no good Colours put upon it yet She would shew her dislike of it no otherwise than by saying nothing of ' em Neither her Good-nature nor her Religion her Civility nor her Prudence would suffer her to censure any one She thought she had enough to do at home in that way without look●ng much abroad and therefore turn'd the edge of all her reflections upon her self Indeed She spar'd others as much as if She had been afraid of 'em and her self as little as if She had had many Faults that wanted mending and yet 't was because She knew no great harm of her self that She could scarce be brought to suspect any in others Her Conversation might for this reason seem to want somewhat of that Salt and smartness which the ill-natur'd part of the World are so fond of a Want that She could easily have supply'd would her Principles have given her leave but her setled opinion was that the Good Name of any one was too nice and serious a thing to be play'd with and that it was a foolish kind of mirth which in order to divert some hurt others She could never bring her self to think that the only thing which gave Life and Spirit to discourse was to have some-body's Faults the subject of it or that the pleasure of a Visit lay in giving up the Company to one-another's Sport and

Malice by turns And if These are the chief marks of Wit and Good-breeding it must be confess'd that She had neither With all this Goodness Gentleness and Meekness of nature She had at the same time a degree of Spirit and Firmness unusual in her Sex and was particularly observ'd to have a wonderful Presence of mind in any accident of danger to shew that Innocence and Courage are nearly ally'd and that even in the softest Tempers where the one of these is in perfection there will and must be a good degree of the other Shall I say any thing of that innate Modesty of Temper and spotless Purity of Heart which shone throughout her whole Life and Conversation a Quality so strictly requir'd of her Sex and so generally I hope enjoy'd by it that it may be thought not so properly commendable in any of 'em to have it as infamous to want it However in the most common and ordinary Graces there are uncommon Heighths and Degrees and it was the particular happiness of this Wondrous Good Lady Remarkably to excell in every Vertue that belong'd to her even in those in which almost every body excells Shall I say that from this love of Purity it was that She banish'd her self from those Publick Diversions of the Town which it was scarce possible to be present at without hearing something that wounded chaste Ears and for which She thought no amends could be made to Vertue by all the Wit and Humour that might go along with it These Good Qualities she knew serv'd only to recommend the Poyson and make it palatable and thought it therefore a piece of service to other people who might perhaps be influenc'd by Her Example to stand off tho' She her self were secur'd from the Infection This questionless was One reason of her allowing her self in those dangerous Entertainments so sparingly but it was but One of Many She had really neither Relish nor Leisure for 'em nor for a thousand other things which the World miscalls Pleasures Not that She wanted naturally a Taste for any thing of this kind for her Apprehension was fine and her Wit very good and very ready at Command whenever ehe pleas'd to exercise it but She had turn'd her Thoughts so much on things of Use and Importance that matters of meer Pleasure grew flat and indifferent to her She was so taken up with the care of improving her understanding and bettering her Life in the discharge of the Offices necessary to her Rank in the Duties of her Closet and the Concerns of her Family that she found at the foot of the account but little time and less mind to give in to those vain Amusements She did not think it as I fear it is too often thought the peculiar Happiness and Privilege of the Great to have nothing to do but took care to fill every Vacant Minute of her Life with some useful or innocent Employment Indeed none were Vacant for the several Hours of the Day had their peculiar business allotted to them whether it were Conversation or Work Reading or Domestick affairs each of which came up orderly in its turn and was as the Wise-man speaks to be sure under Her management it was beautiful in its Season And this Regularity of Hers was free and natural without Formality or Constraint it was neither troublesome to Her nor to those that were with her when therefore any accident interven'd it was left off with as much ease as it was practis'd for amongst all her discretionary Rules the chief was to seem to have none and to make matters of Form give way always to Circumstances and Occasions She wrought with her Own Hands often when She could more profitably and pleasingly have employ'd her time in Meditation or Books but She was willing to set an example to those who could not and She took care therefore that that example should be well follow'd by all that were about her and whom She had any immediate influence over for She knew very well that the description of a Good Wife and a Perfect Woman in the Proverbs a Description which She much delighted in and often read was chiefly taken up in commending that Diligence by which She looketh well to the ways of her Houshold and eateth not the bread of Idleness and She knew also that she whose words these are said to be was no less a Woman than the Mother of King Lemuel Diligence and Frugality are Sisters and She therefore we may be sure who was so well acquainted with the one was no stranger to the other She was strictly careful of her expences and yet knew how to be Generous and to abound when the occasion requir'd it But of all ways of good management She lik'd That the worst which shuts our hands to the Poor to whom She was ever very Compassionate and Charitable To the other delights with which an high Fortune furnish'd her She was insensible almost but on This account She valu'd it that it gave her an opportunity of pursuing the several pleasures of Beneficence and of tasting all the sweets of well-doing She deliver'd the Poor that cry'd and the Fatherless and Him that had none to help him the blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon her and She caused the Widows heart to sing Very easie sure will this make her Audit at the great day of account that Charity will doubtless be allow'd to be a Skreen to her few Infirmities and Faults which when sprinkled by the Blood of Christ can cover a multitude of Sins In the exercise of this and of all other Vertues She was wonderfully Secret endeavouring to rise up as near as She could to the Rule of not letting her right hand know what her left hand did And this Secrecy of hers She manag'd so well that some of the most remarkable Instances of her Goodness were not known till after her death no not by Him who was partaker of all her Joys and Sorrows Retirement and Privacy She always lov'd and therefore chose it when after the Death of a near Relation an Excellent Person † The Old Lady Pickering under whose Care She had been bred She was at Liberty to have liv'd otherwise From that Time to her Marriage which was more than Three Years She hid her self in the Country having an early and setled aversion to the Noise and Inconveniencies of a Town-life and too little an opinion of her self to think that it was so much the interest of Vertue and Religion as it really was to have her known and distinguish'd When afterwards She went to Court as it was necessary for Her sometimes to do She did it with an Air which plainly shew'd that She went to pay her Duty there and not to delight her self in the Pomp and Glitter of that place Had She gone thither soon enough to see that Good and Glorious Queen the Ornament of It and of her Sex She had been taken we