Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	able_a	effect_n	great_a	191	3	2.1571	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A66756	An improvement of imprisonment, disgrace, poverty, into real freedom, honest reputation, perdurable riches evidenced in a few crums & scraps lately found in a prisoners-basket at Newgate, and saved together, by a visitant of oppressed prisoners, for the refreshing of himself and those who are either in a worse prison or (who loathing the dainties of the flesh) hunger and thrist after righteousness / by George Wither.	Wither, George, 1588-1667.	1661 (1661)	Wing W3163; ESTC R14994	55,794	128

not how May honestly be prov'd but this I know The House of Commons may much honour get By well approving that which I have writ Considering I therein have appeal'd To GOD and men if it be not conceal'd From open view and mulcts upon me laid For mentioning in private what was said In publick by the People who thereby And therein are concern'd as much as I Because my purpose in that Poem tends To common good without sinister ends And if we to our selves may not relate Our thoughts in words and them Communicate To Peers intrusted by the Supream Power For Preservarion of their peace and our We are in danger shortly to become The veriest slaves throughout all Christendom But as I said in that which was surpriz'd The Prudent Commons will be so advis'd When they with seriousness have that perused Whereby they are suppos'd by me abused That finding none reproved save onely those Who them in their debatings did oppose And that they likewise after next October Who were half mad in June wise and grown sober Will mend their former manners and become As helpful as they have been troublesome Both Parties then will peradventure be Thenceforth as fully reconcil'd to me As I to all men am and what was not Ill-meant shall be well taken or forgot If it be so It will a Symptome prove Of an abatement if not of remove Of some oppressions to prepare the way For what 's reserv'd untill another day But to what end is this Apologie Not meerly from this place wherein I lie To free my Person or from that which may To me befall upon my Tryal-day No those effects must from an abler spirit Proceed All I can say or do or merit To add a contribution thereunto So little will to such a purpose do That rather provoke more my Foes I shall And deeper into their displeasure fall For 't is not pleading in the fittest Season A Righteous Cause with Arguments Reason Nor is it our well-doing or our saying The Truth nor Preaching nor unto them Praying Nor our long-suff'rings nor when past they are Good services to them how great so e're That so much moves as Flattery making Friends Large Gifts and serving of their present ends I therefore have but an occasion took Thereby to mention somewhat yet unspoke A Nobler Cause concerning then mine own And whereon Words will better be bestown Wholly to GOD committing the success Make that the chief aim of what I express For hearing what is done by common Fame And partly knowing that oblig'd I am Not by my Nat'ral faculties alone On me conferred for that end or none But also by my Christianity And not a little by a Moral-Tie To speak and write and do the best I may To bring them who are out into their way And I le express what e're to that effect I do believe may tend without respect To Persons of a high or low degree Or any Powers on Earth who e're they be Councills and Parliaments and Soveraign Kings I do acknowledge to be Sacred things Whose Reputation whilst at least they are In being ought with conscientious care To be preserv'd because on them depends That which to publick woe or welfare tends Yet He from whom all Powers their Being had And they for whose sakes onely they were made Ought so to be preferr'd that nought be wav'd Whereby their dues and honours may be sav'd We have oft seen and felt in our own times That they of such Confusions and such Crimes Hath been the cause at least in letting in Much more destructive Plagues then all the Sin Of Privare Persons and that which we know Was heretofore may be hereafter so Yea may and will in every Age grow worse Unless there be provision of some course To regulate them and a free consession To Persons qualified with discretion To mind them of their duties who have dar'd When they to Publick places were prefer'd Imploy those Priviledges as their own Which were for Publick services bestown And often do abuse them to the wrong Of them to whom of right they do belong 'T is now high time that Earthly Kings Judges Should wiser grow and use their Peiviledges To better purposes then heretofore For his great Kingdom now is at the door Which will destroy those Empires that begun In NIMROD and through various forms did run Until the Tyrannies beginning than Shall have an end in that Misterious-man Who by the Dragon Scarlet-Whore and BEAST Though mystically truly is exprest Then shall those Tyrannies and Usurpations Whereby he long time hath opprest the Nations And therewith every Branch that sprung therefrom Unto an everlasting Ruine come Though some of them are seemingly Besainted And with fair shewes of Holiness Bepainted For I believe although it doth appear To few men yet Divine Records declare Aswell the Term of NIMROD'S Emperies As of Mysterious Babels Tyrannies Whose time Six hundred sixty six is known To number out and which must be ov'rthrown With that from whence it sprung when ripe 't is grown That to be All in all GOD may be known grown And as I've oft inferr'd they who belong To that new Empire which will then grow strong Shall now way need their Persons to ingage By violent Actings but to bear the rage Of their opposers with a patient heart For suff'ring onely will be their chief part And he who in the Assyrian hoast did smite Fourscore five thousand Persons in one night Shall by the Pow'r and vertue of his Word Perform that work without their hand or sword The CUP of Fornication so bewitches With love of Pleasures Honours and of Riches The great men of the Earth that they think none Are sober men unless they dote upon Those Vanities and prosecute those Ends To which their Policy and Power tends Until they grow as mad or drunk as they And then perhaps for wise men pass they may As David sayes They will not Understand They will not heed what GOD hath now in hand But obstinately still adhere to those Who tempt them on unto their ov'rthrowes Till Ruine comes For they are not aware How cheated by those Mountebanks they are Nor how those Parasites increase their store Ev'n to excess by making of them poor Nor heed they how these cause them to destroy Those men by whom they safety might enjoy With Love and Honour if they did not lend Their Ears to those who no Good-men befren'd They shut their Eyes and therefore cannot see Into what dangers they approaching be And those as much they hate who cross their will To save them as if they did come to kill That which they call the Reason of the State Too far insisted on is often that Which proves the bane of Kingdoms yet still Either false Prophets Priests or their self-will Therewith besots them though they have bin told What thereon hath ensu'd in times of old When Princes GOD's directions had despis'd And acted

GOD hath vouchsaf'd in season Revelations As need required in all Generations By whom he pleas'd and frequently by such As by the world were not esteemed much Some think that nothing meriteth regard Save what by Ancient Prophets was declar'd Who were immediately inspir'd from Heaven By special Warrant and Commission given Be not deceiv'd the same Commission still Is extant with us under hand and Seal In Execution to be put by all Whom for time being GOD shall please to call To be his Prophets who aswell may now As heretofore be called from the Plow From Herds Fruit gathering Fishing from a Trade Which in the World small reputation had Or as when Christianity began From being an extorting Pablican This may believed be for what is else The meaning of that Scripture which foretells Their Sons and Daughters in the later times Should Prophesie That old men should have Dreams And young men Visions Mind too if forgot It be and know it if you know it not That every one who hath in Interest In CHRIST is now King Prophet and a Priest Anointed at renewing of his Birth To do him services here upon Earth And stands oblig'd as he occasion sees To execute all these three Offices According to the measure of GOD's Grace Bestown and in his proper Time and Place And these impower'd by his Commissions are To Parliaments and Councils to declare At least in general terms what may prevent Dishonouring God or common Detriment And be Remembrancers of such like things As need requires unto the greatest Kings Kings also should have still attending them Such SEERS as to David in old time The Prophet Nathan was But in the stead Of such Baffoons or Jesters do succced In Princes Courts by whom they sometimes are Inform'd of useless truths by way of Jeer And other while perhaps a formallist So far as it with Courtship may consist Will mind them of such duties as they see By them perform'd but such as wholly be Neglected and by whose neglect they may Be quite destroy'd they not a word will say On many Kings their lies a heavy charge Their Kingdoms are both Populous and large There likewise are so many thousand cases Which do concern their Persons or their places Or other men and such a few there are To represent them to a Royal Ear And likewise of those few there are so few Who represent unto them what is true That whilst a freedom is allow'd to none To shew them what 's destructively misdone Or what is fam'd All their Prerogatives May not secure their Honours and theit lives Especially at such a time as this Wherein GOD searcheth after what 's amisse And hath already both begun to cast Into his fiery Furnace and to blast All Humane Wisdom Pow'r and Righteousness Yea all wherein their confidence men place That they may know all Evils do from them Proceed and all things that are good from him Moreover that which long since was foretold Some of this Generation shall behold In differing States and with as different Passions According to their differing Inclinations And by the Men and means the world despises In spight of all that Hamane wit devises It shall be brought to pass And they who did Defend the noblest Cause then best shall speed Oblig'd for these respects is ev'ry one To do what in his place is to be done That GOD's Will so far forth as Power is given May here be done on Earth as 't is in Heaven A safe condition they are alwayes in Who trust not in their merits hate their Sin And their endeavours labour to improve In Faith and Meekness Patience Hope and Love That this may be effected whatsoever It costs them in pursuing that endeavour For Priviledges of the Humane Nature More Sacred are then those of any Creature Beneath the GODHEAD and to all Mankind He is a Traytor who hath ought design'd Against that Interest and therefore I Vow in defence thereof to live and die In order thereunto I now employ The Faculty and Talent I enjoy Which GOD hath made proportionable to The works and men with whom I have to do That which I suffer for on this Account Was done By GOD's Commission I have done 't If truth I write I am no whit to blame If it be false I an Imposter am And let the Commons when that next they meet Deal with me for it as GOD shall permit I have discharg'd my Conscience And if me He will not save I saved will not be Nor will I in this Cause plead one word more Then this and what I 've written heretofore I know the World she also knows her own And we shall both ere long be better known Mean while this my Imprisonment to me Will my Teipsum nosce prove to be This also and what 's formerly exprest Of me and of this Age will be a TEST Now I le retire unto my self and sing To GOD be glory and God save the King They who are wise will observe these things and shall understand the Loving kindness of the LORD Psal 104.43 Another Meditation in Newgate somewhat alluding to this old verse in Seneca Nunquam non Potest esse Virtuti locus Which implies that no Place or Time can disadvantage an Honest-man THere 's diff'rence in the self same Times and Places As GOD conferreth or withdraws his Graces Or as our Cause is or as we shall find Our hearts to be ought more or less inclin'd To bring the Flesh into a due subjection Unto the Spirits Dictates and direction For this Place I perceive to be the same To me which I unto my self now am And not that which it is to most of them Who are with me confined at this time By Burthens though as great are made more light Then theirs are unto them The day or night Are no whit tedious nor unpleasing make My sleep nor Cares renew when I awake But I as well contented am become In all respects as ev'r I was at home Although as well by my Intelligence I my Afflictions feel as by my Sense For ev'n those things which in themselves are bitter To cure Distempers prove not onely fitter But sweeter too then that which in times past Was more defir'd and did most please my taste The want of sleep here and of such like things As else where and at other Seasons brings Pain to the Flesh and to the Soul vexations Are either made to me sweet Recreations Or give Instruction in another mode And more effectually then things abroad Last night as in my Bed I musing lay How Time and Life and all things pass away How needlesly our selves we vex and pother Destroy afflict and persecute each other What cost and pains and time we spend to build That which will in a little while be spoil'd And how the quiet of our lives we trouble About our structures of wood straw and stubble Which when our several Fiery Tryals come Will into smoke and