Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	act_v	lord_n	zion_n	24	3	8.6852	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96727	The vertuous wife: or, the holy life of Mrs. Elizabth Walker, late wife of A. Walker, D.D. sometime Rector of Fyfield in Essex Giving a modest and short account of her exemplary piety and charity. Published for the glory of God, and provoking others to the like graces and vertues. With some useful papers and letters writ by her on several occasions.	Walker, Anthony, d. 1692.; Walker, Elizabeth, 1623-1690.	1694 (1694)	Wing W311A; ESTC R229717	136,489	315

through thy Grace I loath O blessed Lord and enter my solemn Protest against them Defiance and Detestation of them Good God I would not have an irreverent thought of thy sacred Being incomprehensible and most excellent Perfection and transcendent Glory which I would and do with my whole Heart Soul and all the Powers of my whole Man with all integrity acknowledge and subscribe to with mine own Hand to which O Lord I beg the Seal of thy Spirit as a Witness to my Soul that I am in Christ Jesus thy Child and Servant Elizabeth Walker Engaged I am O Lord by Covenant with thee in Baptism to fight thy Battels I beseech thee put on me that whole and compleat Armour that I may be able to resist my strong Enemies which war against my Soul and fight against thee Blessed Lord I desire to prostrate my self at thy Feet in the deepest sense of my own Unworthiness that thou shouldest look upon and help such a Miscreant and forlorn Sinner But for his sake that never sinned I beseech thee support me with thy compassionate Mercy to me a loathsome and defiled Sinner and give me not over to spiritual Judgments hardness of Heart blindness of Mind Impenitency an evil Heart of Unbelief departing from thee Give me not up into the Hands of them that hate me and would work my Ruine I beseech thee do not chuse my Delusions leaving me to a deceivable Heart to which I dare not trust without the Guards of thy Holy Spirit Leave me not O God to my own strength in which I cannot doe the least good and without thine shall fall into the greatest evils of Soul and Body and sink to the bottom of the bottomless Pit of Sin and eternal Misery from which O God I beseech thee let thy unfathomed Mercy in Christ Jesus speedily prevent me and give a mortal stab to all my Corruptions by what Course soever thou wilt take with me only let me fall into thy Compassionate Hands Good Lord bind up my Wounds and heal my Putrifying Soars I beseech thee forsake me not in the time of my older Age when Strength faileth and suffer not the defects of my Body to become the Sin of my Soul I beseech thee suffer no Tryal to be above my Strength but Blessed Lord thou that hast suffered being Tempted make a way for me that I may be able to bear it I beseech thee lay that Hand on me thou tookest hold on Peter with that I may not sink in the deep Waters in which there is no standing Good Lord suffer no Weapon formed against me to Prosper but bring me up out of my Astonishments and Confusions of Soul though the Enemy break in like a Flood let thy Holy Spirit in my Heart lift up a Standard against him Good Lord take a full Possession of my Soul and suffer no Rival with thee let me be guided governed and acted by thee Good Lord let no Sin have Dominion over me I beseech thee fill my Heart and Soul with the Graces of thy Blessed Spirit Deep Reverentialness of thee much Love Fervour and Zeal for thy Glory which I beseech thee cause to be ever very and exceeding dear and precious to me and suffer not the Envenomed Arrows of my Enemy to stick on me but I beseech thee quench all those Fiery Darts the Poison of them drinketh up my Spirits Good Lord apply to my Soul that healing Balsam made of the Blood of the Son of God and with an Indelible Character let thy Law be written on my Heart O Blessed God Father Saviour Sanctifier I beseech thee make this the transcript of my Soul in an Holy Life in Submission and Obedience to thee in all things with all possible Adoration Thanksgiving and Praise unto thee O Lord most due in Heaven and on Earth to which I say Amen Amen Amen She Read also all the good Books with intentest Diligence she could enquire out or be informed of on this Subject and wept Buckets of Tears to quench those Fiery Darts which though she had an Excellent Eye brought her many Years since to the use of Spectacles and caused her oft to use the Psalmist's Expression My Eye is Consumed because of Grief and waxeth Old because of my Enemy And would often Pray that her Bodily-Infirmities might not be her Souls Dis-advantages and say That though they were not her Sins they were the Effects of them Thus was her Life a continual Warfare in which she fought the good Fight of Faith and was more than Conqueror through him that loved her and helped her and I am comfortably upon good Grounds persuaded hath received a glorious Crown of Righteousness from him whose Appearance she so heartily Loved and so constantly and earnestly waited for Her Warfare is accomplished and she rests from these and all her Labours and as she overcame in his Strength who taught her Hands to War and Fingers to Fight and covered her Head in the Day of Battel so to him be all the Glory and Eternal Praises Amen Amen SECT XVIII Friends she used to Pray for I Subjoyn to the Precedent an Account of another Paper which as the last abovenamed I found in a distinct Sheet with this Title A Catalogue of Christian Friends whom I desire in a peculiar manner to present in my poor Prayers to God at the Throne of his Grace and that God would doe for them for Soul and Body above what I can ask Then follows this Prayer GRacious God thou hast commanded to Pray for all Men but especially for the Houshold of Faith Lord thou never saidst Seek my Face in vain but hast with great Condescention and Encouragement Invited thy People to make their Addresses to thee for themselves and others And hast joyned with the Command thy Promise to hear and grant agreeable to thy Will what is best for us Lord thou givest Liberally and dost not upbraid and wilt not send thy People away Empty seeing thou always hast it plentifully by thee I come unto thee in the Name and for the Sake and alone Righteousness Merits and Mediation of thy Son and my alone Saviour Jesus Christ in the behalf of my Self and Christian Friends Lord I beg of thee for thy Church and peculiar People and by name present before thee some known to me my Christian Friends them and their Joynt-Relations Good Lord shower down on them the Blessings of Prayer Gracious God I do beseech thee extend thy choicest Favours to my most near Relations my Dear Husband my Dear Grandson his Father and his Relations with my other near Relations Good Lord be very gracious to our Neighbouring Ministry Mr. Alchorne Mr. Hublon Mr. Loe Mr. Arrowsmith Doctor Fuller Mr. Siday with the rest Lord give them the Plentifull Encrease of their Labours the ingrafting many Souls into thy Kingdom And be very gracious to those who have known my Soul in Adversity and have been earnest Petitioners in my behalf at thy Throne of

yet more occurred in every one well worth observing To begin with the first day of the Week or the Lord's Day the Queen of days the first-born of all the Children of time in her esteem to which she accounted a double Portion to be due of religious observance and most raised Devotion and always paid it She was scrupulously sollicitous both of the Negative and Positive Duties she judged to be required on that day both to prevent the violation of that holy Rest and to sanctifie it I might subjoin a short Treatise of that Subject if I should collect and put together what I meet with from her own Pen concerning it in several places For the first as she gave it the full dimensions in early rising so she would not suffer it to be intrench'd upon by any works but of absolute Necessity and Mercy ordered things so that her Maids must never make a Cheese that day and would seldom use the Coach to carry her to Church except in extremity of way and weather and though none gave freer welcome on other days would forbear inviting any on that day to prevent diversions and if Friends sometimes came in would as soon as it was possible without uncivil rudeness withdraw into her Chamber After Dinner at which she especially eat sparingly on that day to prevent drowsiness at Church She constantly called all the Family together to hear them read the Scriptures and if any Neighbour were sick within such distance as would not hinder her timely attending publick Worship would not fail to visit them and all the day she practised her self what she oft advised others Isa 58.13 She turned away her foot from the Sabbath from doing her pleasure on God's Holy Day and called the Sabbath her delight the holy of the Lord honourable and honoured him not doing her own ways nor finding her own pleasure nor speaking her own words but delighted herself in the Lord and in his Service For the positive Duties Being early up she spent as much time in dressing her Soul to meet God and as little as was possible in adorning her Body to the Eyes of Men though always with a grave and decent neatness She always retained a profound Reverence for the Name and Presence of God so that she was always attentively devout at Prayers and Sermons to which she brought all her Servants with her that they might not stay loitering idly at home or by the way and her Eye and Example would awe the ruder youth into becoming Carriage for which end she would sometimes rise up and look about her with good effect After publick Worship finished she would retire for a considerable time to recollect and pray over the Sermons and after finishing what was her custom on other days to doe Besides the Servants reading every one a Chapter when my weariness would not allow me to repeat the Sermons she would desire my Curate to read some good Book and oft would she do it her self She read in the Family the Lord's Day the seven night before she died good part of Dr. Sherlock's Treatise of Death and I must say I remember not I ever heard Man or Woman exceed her in this kind I confess with shame I could not doe it so well for tho' she altered not a Syllable of the Author's words her Reading might be called a Reading and giving of the Sense for tho' she read quick she did it so smoothly and distinctly and would place the Emphasis upon some word in every Sentence so intelligently without any affected tone or vehement alteration of her Voice that the change was scarce perceptible not so much as betwixt what we call flat and sharp in Musick and yet would strangely facilitate the understanding of the Sense to low Capacities an infallible evidence of her clear understanding it herself After Family Prayer spending some little time more than on other nights in committing her self to God she went to Bed and adding to her usual Ejaculations Praises for the liberty of another Sabbath Prayers for acceptance of the days Services and pardon for the Iniquities of her holy things she went to rest and such were every Week's First-fruits On Monday Morning awaking with God and having blown off the Ashes which veil'd the Embers kindled by the ardent Fervour of the preceding days Devotions she kindled them into an holy Flame with which having offered up the daily Morning-Sacrifice she next brought her Peace-offerings for the whole House of Israel She had a very publick Spirit and enlarged Heart on which she always bore the concerns of Zion and preferred Jerusalem above her chief Joy She stretched out her craving hands over the World as you 'll find her express her self that the mighty God who calleth the Earth from the rising of the Sun to the going down thereof would shine out of Zion the perfection of Beauty that he would pity them who sit in darkness and the region and shadow of Death that he would destroy Satan's Kingdom and set free those who are in bondage to it that he would exalt the Kingdom of his dear Son till the little Stone cut out of the Mountain without Hands might become a great Mountain and fill the whole World and all the corners of it might see the Salvation of God that he would effectually call out of Babylon his captivated People that yet are detained in it that he would water abundantly with the fruitful Showers of his Grace all the Churches which his own Right-hand hath planted and that he with whom is plenty of Spirit would pour it out abundantly and furnish himself with fit Instruments to carry on the work of his own Glory and Salvation of Souls that he would give Pastors after his own Heart who might feed his People with Knowledge and Vnderstanding that they may be delivered from Ignorance Error Heresie and all Ungodliness that they may adorn the Gospel with such a Conversation as becomes it that all over whom the Name of Christ is called might depart from Iniquity Beseeching the Lord to pour out abundantly the true Spirit of the Gospel on all who made profession of it with all its Operations and Graces as a Spirit of Wisdom Knowledge and the Fear of God of Faith and Holiness Repentance and universal unreserved new Obedience especially as an healing Spirit of Unity and Peace mutual Forbearance true Christian Charity and Brotherly-Love and as a mighty Spirit of Grace and Supplication to obtain these Blessings for themselves and one another for the Churches of the neighbouring Nations round about by name that God would give them one Heart and one way that the nick-names of Lutherans and Calvinists might be forgotten and Ephraim and Judah might be one Stick in the Lord's Hand especially for the distressed Protestants of France that God would turn his Anger from them cause them to be pitied by their Brethren and effectually relieved that God would shew them why he contended with them help

them to repent of whatever had provoked him to so heavy displeasure that their dross being consumed in the furnace of Affliction he would chuse them to himself break the Iron Yoak from off their Necks bound on so close by the hand of proud and cruel persecuting Tyranny that being fitted for it they might once more be intrusted with their Civil and Religious Liberties and be gathered home from all the Countries into which they are scatter'd to their own Land in Peace and Safety and never forfeit it again But with more ardent Zeal if more be possible did she pray for the Peace of our own Jerusalem and wrestle with God to render these Nations fit for Mercy for though she had a grateful sense of vouchsafed Deliverances yet when hopes were gayest and affairs most promising she was full of Fears and Expectations of impending and approaching Judgments and would often yea very often say for out of the abundance of her Heart her Mouth spake That if we traced God's footsteps in the Scriptures he must change his usual methods if he took not Vengeance of so provoking a Nation which would not be healed but in the midst of so many changes would not be changed from open Profaneness mutual Hatreds and scorning and opposing serious Holiness and solid Religion and the power of Godliness Good Lord avert from her survivors what she so reasonably feared and thou hast freed her from the feeling of The Righteous are taken away from the Evil to come The rest of this Day she spent as others are described and so the rest till Friday the Weekly memorial of our Saviour's Passion On this after some necessary Family Affairs dispatch'd she constantly retired and spent it alone in religious Fasting The House of Levy apart and their Wives apart Zach. xij 13. And remembring who had blamed exacting all their labours on a fasting Day Isa lviij 3. she gave her Maids that day to work for themselves to read or spend more time in Prayer if they had hearts to doe it And if she foresaw any unavoidable diversion as being from home or Strangers to come to us she would prudently prevent the loss of that Day by chusing one before which might afford her the best vacancy And though I confess she usually set but one day in a week apart when I was at home I have been since her death informed both by those in my Family and by her Diary that in my absence she spent two three yea and more days in a week so I add no more concerning her Week but her awakened remembring on the last day of it the approaching Sabbath and solemn preparing to meet the Lord of the Day on that day of our Lord whose presence I comfortably believe she now enjoys in a continual Sabbath everlasting Rest And this is the second Edition of her Life's Epitome how she spent every Week SECT VIII How she spent a Year I Next proceed to give account how she us'd to spend a Year in the larger Revolution whereof there occurred many things which fell not within the narrower compass of a Day or Week nor all precisely into that circle taken strictly and with rigour yet are fairly reducible to that Head Many of her Years which consisted of such Days and Weeks as above described being fill'd up with her prudent holy submissive Deportment under and godly Improvement she made of such Circumstances and Conditions of Life as these that follow many yearly at least often 1. Her most endearing Affections and obliging Observance as a Wife to my self 2. Her Lyings-in in Child-bearing 3. The Baptizing of our Children 4. Care and Methods of their Education 5. Monthly Sacraments 6. Of her Writings 7. Discreet Management of Family 8. Visitations by Sickness on our selves or Children and some of their Deaths 9. Renewed assaults of her Enemy by Temptation 10. A Catalogue of her Friends she used to pray for 11 Some trying troubles on the Nation on Friends or Family Signal Deliverances from Dangers 12. Going to Tunbridge-Wells 13. Keeping our Wedding-Day Entertainments of Friends 14. Marriage of our onely Daughter Her death in Child-bed the same Year yet leaving a Son 15. Acts and kinds of her great Charity 16. Care to advance God's Glory and Salvation of others 17. Several Graces in which she was most eminent 18. Her Character All which If I should pursue not in an historical Narrative of them that 's neither my design nor business but in her glorifying God in them and making a spiritual Improvement and Advantage of them and to teach others how to doe the like I might write a Volume of them from the wise pertinent and holy Memoirs her Pen hath left me and my own observation and memory would supply me with My greatest labour therefore here will be to contract and I must leave out much of that which my own Judgment tells me if my Affection do not greatly bribe and flatter me might not only be passable but very exemplary and usefull I might have added more particulars and set them in better order and not blended so promicuously together Heavenly and Earthly Spiritual and Secular Concerns But it matters not they both come within the compass of my design to shew how good she was in all relations and conditions she was Mary and Martha both unto perfection and acted Martha's part with Mary's Spirit SECT IX Her Character as a Wife I Should be too ungratefull to her Memory should I not begin with the endearing Affections and obliging Observance she always paid me as an Husband on which Subject it is impossible to exceed or Hyperbolize though Love should render so dull a Pen Eloquent if that be not an impossible supposition Our mutual compellation was always my Dear not a word of coarse or empty Compliment but the sincere interpretation of the Language of our Hearts All my concerns were nearer to her than those which were immediately her own were I in any sort afflicted she would with Passion wish she could exempt me from it by bearing it her self Whatever toucht my Reputation Peace or Saftety toucht her in the most sensible and tender part I could give two most trying Instances of Envy and Malice but I lay my Finger on both those Sores that it may appear blessed be God's Grace I am guided by a better Spirit than to revive the memory of what we both so heartily forgave and so oft and earnestly jointly and severally have begged of God both to forget and pardon unto those who by their present Passions were hurried so far as to afford us the tryal and exercise of Christian Fortitude and Patience and so meek yea generous a Charity as I would not stand in need of from any Man for all the World On both these occasions how did she comfort me how did she counsel me to commit my innocent Cause to God assuring me he would not fail to plead and defend it and bring forth my Innocence as

Head There is also a Treatise of the Grace of Humility which was so much in her Heart and Practice She describes it hath many Sentences about it and there are Scriptures collected concerning it in loose Papers but this was rather desir'd than finished abundance more there are besides Copies of very good Letters which I forbear to mention because I intend to publish some of them in an Appendix SECT XV. Discreet Management of her Family SHE oft and very well considered of what Consequence it is to discharge the Duties incumbent upon us in the several Relations and Stations in which God's Providence is pleased to place us and that not only the credit of Religion in the Eyes of the World but also the Power and Comfort of it in the Sight of God and sense of our own Consciences hath great dependance on it and that he or she cannot be a good Christian who is not a good Husband or Wife Parent Master or Governess of a Family and therefore much studied to know her Relative Duties and to approve herself in the well discharging of them Therefore she oftener Read and oftner thought of the thirty first Chapter of the Proverbs and her Practice was as good a Comment as can be made upon the oeconomick Rules there given She was as I touch'd before Martha and Mary both unto Perfection yet always acted Martha's Part with Mary's Spirit though Martha also was a good Woman she spiritualized her Worldly Businesses behaved herself in her Family as became one who was of the Family of the first-Born made all her Imployments a Sacrifice by performing them in obedience to God whose Providence imposed them on her in setting her in a Station in which they were required of her not only submitted to them as Mortifications as is said of Marquess Renti in the two years Drudgery and Diversion he was content to undergo in rebuilding the Seat of his Ancestors because he esteemed himself called to it when he was the Head of his Family but with a willing Mind chearfully engaged in them accounting all as done to God which his Appointment made her Duty For if the Maid-Servant may sweep the House to God as Mr. R. Bolton expresses himself by considering it as a Duty in the condition to which he calls her how much more may the Mater-familias the Mistress govern it for him while she hath an Eye to him who is the God of Order and hath designed every one their Work as well in the less as in the larger Societies of Men. But I have already insisted on so many things justly reducible to this Head that I have prevented my self especially considering the more weighty part of Family-Discipline relates to Persons and the lighter only to Things having said so much of her Care of her Children and Servants the other Branch may be quickly dispatched with slighter Touches What the Apostle saith of the Vessels in an House some are to Honour some to Dishonour I may allusively say of Affairs some are more Honourable and Becoming some more Mean and Base to this latter sort she put not her Hand as it was not fit or decent that she should yet would she not disdain to inspect and order those to whom they did belong And therefore though she was neither her own Cook or Dairy-Maid yet was she always Clerk of her little Kitchin if I may so speak But whatever required more Art and Curiosity for the Closet or the Parlour as Preserving drawing Spirits in an Alembick or cold Still Pastry Angelots and other Cream-Cheeses of which she made many both for home Expence and to present to Friends and have been begged and sent at some hundred Miles distance they always past through her own neat and Skilfull Hands especially since the Death of one and Marriage of our other Daughter on whom she imposed those Matters to perfect them by Practice in what she had so accurately taught them So for all sorts of English Wines and Sider which when Friends have commended it may be too highly saying I had constantly the best they ever drank she would betwixt Jest and Earnest sometimes reply His Sider 't is my Sider I have all the Pains and Care and he hath all the Praise who never meddles with it To gratifie those whom such an Account may please I will venture to set down her last Years Experiment Having a good Plantation both of Redstreaks which are the Herefordshire Sider-Apple and Gennet-moils which are the Worcestershire and make a Sider of a very different Body Colour Gust and Flavour I desired they might be put into sundry Vessels after they were ground and prest severally but she came to me and said My Dear thou knowest not the trouble of drawing off so many Vessels I 'll make an Hogshead of them putting both together I left her to her Liberty and it succeeded so well all that taste it say they never drank so good But I have staid too long in the outward Court of her Secular Accomplishments and Care I will hasten out of it by a few Paces more She was Careful without sollicitous Anxiety Frugal without sordid Parsimony Liberal without squandring Profuseness Laborious without servile Drudgery Decent without vain Ostentation Circumspect without disquieting Diffidence Neat without Niceness would not sound ill if my haste would allow me to study Cadencies and Truth would permit it but I want a without to follow that Epithet Neat for if in any thing she knew no Bounds or Limits it was in this and she would often say she envied Great Persons for nothing but the neatness of their Living which a plain Country Family would not admit of I shall conclude this Section with some few of her oeconomick Axioms such as these among many Want nothing but waste nothing I hate a base fordid Spirit but I reckon it not such to spare well what would be spent ill what is spoil'd doth no body any good When she laid by what was not at present beneficial she would say What is not useful now may at another time be needed and though she would not use the Proverb Thrift is the fuel of Magnificence that lofty Word sounding too big for her humble Mouth and Mind yet a Note or two lower she liked well Honest Frugality is the Nurse of Decent Hospitality and if we had not the most her Prudence took care that what we had was usually of the best at least made so by her well ordering it She was exceeding watchful to prevent danger by Fire and to that end would see all raked up safe before she went to Bed a small Negligence often losing what the greatest Diligence cannot recover But no Circumspection could be greater than what she constantly Exercised to prevent both Extreams of Quarrels betwixt Fellow-Servants or too great Familiarity betwixt Men and Maids which might turn to worse Inconveniences and if she spied any uncivil or wanton Gestures she would severely reprehend them and