Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A45365
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A relation of the last words and departure of that antient and honourable woman Loveday Hambly of Trigangeeues, in the parish of Austell in the County of Cornwal. With farther testimonies concerning her life and conversation.
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Hambly, Loveday, 1603 or 4-1682.
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1683
(1683)
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Wing H472; ESTC R216508
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9,017
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11
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Spirits of Just Men made perfect and I believe her Name is written in Heaven and she is entred in the Possession of that Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost which is the effect of everlasting Righteousness and hath a Name and a Place in the House of the Lord and within the Walls of Salvation even an everlasting Name that shall never be blotted out nor forgotten Dear Friends Brethren and Sisters who are asking the way to Zion with your Faces thitherward and who have desires to have Intelligence of the State of Affairs among Friends in these Parts this gives you advice of the Departure of the above mentioned Mother in Israel let it not trouble you for it is well with her and this is a living Testimony of never dying Love that 's given forth and sent to you from your Loving Friend and Fellow Traveller in the way of Holyness Austell in Cornwall the 20th of the 10th Month 1682. Thomas Salthouse The Testimony of Thomas Curtis AS for Loveday Hambly that honourable Woman in the Flock of God I have this Testimony to give for her that her Nam â—â—â— eth although she be gone to the Place prepared for all the Living and her Memorial will abide among many Brethren because of her great Care of the Truth amongst the Heritage of the Almighty Before she was convinced of the Truth she was a Zealous Professor a Woman seeking after the Living God in the dead Forms of this World and very diligent to follow after the best men then in esteem amongst those Professors not willing to miss a Lecture or Sermon at that season if Sickness or some other urgent occasion drew her not aside marvelously beloved then by those Ministers that were most eminent in that Place and Part of the County willing to hear them in their Exercise and then greatly to befrind them and in the beginning or breaking forth of the Truth when some Friends rode through the County and sounded the Trumpet of the Lord for which they were taken and committed to the Common Goal in that County a Concern câ—me upon me to visit â—he Prisoners of the Great God and finding them shut up in Doomsdale a Dungeon in the Castle in Lancestâ—n I was troubled in my Spirit and a farther Concern came upon me to go to the Sessions and visit a Commander whom formerly I was acquainted with and then in Authority to see if possible I might do any Service for the Lord and assist my then suffering Brethren which in Gods Strength I did perform and in my Journying I was guided to the House of my deceased Friend Loveday Hambly where after some discourse with her she seemed to be inclinable to know the Truth and God gave me a Testimony suitable to her present Condition and the Lord opened her Heart as he did the Heart of Lidia and she was melted with the Word of Life and the Lord so wrought upon her that although I parted with her in a little time and went forward as it was with me to the Place appointed yet when I returned her Love was greatly inlarged and she constrained me to stay some time and a Door of hope was opâ—ned to that Family and several of the Neighbourhood and many were prickt at the heart and several good Meetings I had in the Family and great tenderness was amongst them the Fame went forth of her convincement and the Word of God had a place in their Affections and many were broken into tears and this honourable Friend did comfort them and was a strength to them and though many stood a loof off and others taunted at them yet her Affections strongly increased towards them and if any thing did befall them she made it as her own Concern for she valued no Delights of this World but her Delight was in the Lord she valued not the Glory of great Men nâ—â—â—her did she covet after great Possessions but was contented with 〈◊〉 Lot in her Pilgrimage and as one that had found a Spring in a dry Ground so was she in her Meditations so that her Fame went far and many good Inclinations were in Peoples Minds so that when I came again as Doves to the Windows how did many flock so that it was then very pleasant to me great Desires after the Lord appeared God opened a Fountain in the Desert but this made the old Serpent angry and set his Ministers in a rage and some came to the House like Champions to see if they could recover her again many strong assaults were made in that day but all in vain sometimes I was met with by the Ministers on the High Way sometimes challenged to come to the Fair some private some publick Discourses but still her Love was fixed to the Lord so that nothing could draw back her Affections because she had in some Degree seen the Kindness of the Lord the more they strove the closer she stuck to the Truth and the more they prest on her the more she saw their Weakness and when they perceived that there was no recovery like to be the Dragon cast a Flood out of his mouth at her and prepared a Troop to come to her House to lay hold of me which drew many tears from her eyes but the Lord was with us and so prevailed with the then Commanders that the Lieutenant and Coronet were convinced and for some time stood in their Convincement and the Coronet had a Meeting at his House and great Peace then was her Portion and her delight was amongst the People of the Lord and which way she might lay out her Endeavours for the Truth and as Friends came to visit the Prisoners at Lanceston they came to visit her and her heart was open and her House was free and Meetings began to be settled and as a Nursing Mother in Israel so was she but when Faithfulness entred her heart so that she could not put into the mouths of the Priests and Impropriators they soon prepared War against her and a deep Sufferer was she both by Priest and Impropriator and often her Cows Horses Oxen Sheep and Calves taken away as the Records of that County can make appear much spoil they made of her Estate so that sometimes her Cattle was so clean gone and carryed away by the Spoilers as if no recovery of a Stock were like to be again but God was a Portion to her and whil'st that Prophesie of the Prophet Isaiah was fulfilling upon her Adversaries Isaiah 33.5 Wo unto thee that spoilest and thou wast not spoiled Her Cows did Calve her Sheep did Yean and bring forth and the Fleece did grow again and Gods Indignation did fall upon the Spoylers and the Goods did not prosper in their Hands but a Consumption came upon it and it wasted and melted away doing but little good and in the End the Lord cut them off from the Earth and gave them their Portion with the Spoilers So that Scripture came to be
her Free Gift after her Decease and that Friends who did Travel in the Truths Service and were in want might be supplyed by those to whom she left her Outward Estate else said she I should never have left it to him Here follow several of her Expressions taken by such as were with her the Night before her Departure My Heart and Soul is poured forth unto thee O thou Eternal God thou art the Comfort and Salvation of Old Age and the Desire of my Heart is that all my Friends may be kept faithful to the Living God for I declare here in the Presence of the Lord and before you that I do love all the Children and Servants of the Living God with all my Heart Soul and Strength And I desire the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob with all my Heart and Soul that I may faithfully fight under his Banner Moreover she said The Lord knows my Heart I never loved the Riches of this World for what is it worth it is all Vanity and Vexation of Spirit At another time she said I desire to take up the Shield of Faith and the Helmet of Salvation and that I may dwell in the House of God After she had layn still a pritty while like one in a sweet Sleep she opened her eyes and seeing some of her Friends and Servants about her she smilingly said Methinks I have been in a great Warefare and there was mighty Doings and O what a Comfort it was to me we will not fall out about it for their Kingdom must come into my Kingdom Again she said My God look over them keep all thy Handmaids my God my God And not long before her Departure in a good sence and deep Expression of Soul she said Glory Glory Eternal Glory for thy great Kindnest and Love to thy Handmaid And many times after she would begin some good words which she was not able to utter forth but some Friends standing by her would help her therein and then she would rejoyce that her Mind was uttered by another and so continued quiet as a Lamb for about fourteen hours before her Departure then deep groans did proceed from her unâ—il the eighth hour in the Morning on the 14th day of the 10th Month 1682 at which time she departed this Life and slept with her Fathers and as we hope and verily believe is entred into a blessed Eternity And this is written and witnessed unto by thy Loving Friends Thomas Salthouse Richard Tregenow Anne Salthouse Loveday Beachamp With several Servants and other Attendants A farther Testimony concerning Dear Loveday Hambly from T. S. SHould I undertake to set forth a Declaration of her Vertue in the last twenty years of her Life while I have had acquaintance with her it would require the Pen of a far readyer Writer and fill more Paper than is intended at this time for it is not practicable among us to garnish the Sepulcres of the Righteous nor is it any way needful to write Letters of Recommendation for the Dead who are entred into the Rest prepared for Gods People and in quiet Possession of an Inheritance among them that are Sanctifyed by Faith in Christ Jesus for the Spirit saith expresly Blessed are the Dead that dye in the Lord for they rest from their Labour and their Works follow them Our Dear Friend L. H. is now gone to her long Home and we cease to sorrow for her that is fall'n asleep like those that have no hope for if in this Life only we have hope of Christ we are of all men most miserable for many are the Tryals of the Righteous c. And truly the Tribulations Tryals and Exercises of this good Woman were many in the Days of her Pilgrimage in this present World as may in part appear by the Records of our Friends Sufferings in this County some of which are in Print and some in Manuscript besides Reproaches Tryals and cruel Mockings that did attend us while the way was every where spoken against in which we walk and Worship the only true God of our Fathers in Spirit and in Truth This Good Friend and Antient Widdow Woman was several times cast into Prison at Lanceston and Bodmine for the Possession and Practice of her Religion and once constrained to ride to London which is about 220 Miles from her House to make appearance there for Non-payment of Tythes c. and at several times had her Goods taken away in great Quantities to the value of many hundreds of pounds sometimes fourty Head of Cattle at once for her faithful Testimony against the Oppression of Tythes and she did always take joyfully the spoiling of her Goods with Bonds and Imprisonmenâ—s that did often attend her for Matter of Conscience for no occasion could justly be taken against her except concerning the Righteous Law Way and Worship of the Living God for in other Cases she was always careful to owe nothing to any Man but Love greatest Policy Prudence and Care was to promote the Interest of the pretious Truth and not only the Form but the Power of Godliness her House was made a House of Prayer her Heart and Hand was bountiful and open to administer to such as needed Food or Physick and the Lord was pleased to give a great Blessing to her Endeavours many of her Neighbours are witnesses or it at this day her Charity and Hospitality was not confined to her Relations and the People of her own Perswasion but was extended to Rich and Poor Strangers and Enemies yea she was truly Kind and Charitable in her day to the utmost of her Ability few in this Generation did exceed her for Love and Good Works she was no Orator as to express her Mind by Men-pleasing Excellency of Speech or inticing fine words that Mens Wisdom teacheth but her Love was manifested to be real Love not in words only but in Deed and in Truth which gives me this Confidence to say she was a Disciple indeed and the Lord blest her in her Basket and Store after all her Sufferings for Righteousness sake and she never wanted Meat Drink nor Cloathing to accomodate her Persecutors and their Children if they were either in want of Food or Raiment neither did she say be warm and be cloathed and fed by others but did it dayly and freely for they were her own words often uttered in my hearing What 's all the World I have enough I will never live miserable to dye Rich. And yet she hath left a competent Estate to be divided amongst many of her Friends and Relations and to the Poor of the Neighbouring Parishes as appears by her last Will and Testament her Command concerning her Funeral was carefully observed by her Relations and Friends and many hundreds of sober People did accompany her to her Grave in a Decent Burying Place in the Tenement of Trigangeeves where her Dead Body is at rest and her Spirit is returned to God that gave it and to the