Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	day_n	lord_n	word_n	7,457	5	4.1658	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A74991	A faithful memorial of that remarkable meeting of many officers of the Army in England, at Windsor Castle, in the year 1648. As also, a discovery of the great goodness of God, in his gracious meeting of them, hearing and answering their suit or supplications, while they were yet speaking to him. All which is humbly presented, as a precious patern and president unto the officers and souldiers of the said Army (or elsewhere) who are or shall be found in the like path, of following the Lord in this evil day; searching and trying their waies, in order to a through return and reformation. By William Allen, late Adjutant-General of the Army in Ireland.	Allen, William, Adjutant-general of the army in Ireland.	1659 (1659)	Wing A1052; Thomason E979_3; ESTC R9713	8,023	11

A FAITHFUL MEMORIAL OF THAT REMARKABLE MEETING OF Many Officers of the Army in England at Windsor Castle in the Year 1648. AS ALSO A DISCOVERY OF THE Great goodness of God in his gracious meeting of them hearing and answering their suit or supplications while they were yet speaking to him ALL Which is humbly presented as a precious Patern and President unto the Officers and Souldiers of the said Army or elsewhere who are or shall be found in the like path of following the Lord in this evil day searching and trying their waies in order to a through Return and Reformation By William Allen late Adjutant-General of the Army in Ireland Prov. 1.23 Turn you at my reproof behold I will pour out my spirit unto you I will make known my words unto you LONDON Printed for Livewel Chapman at the Crown in Popes-head Alley 1659. To Lieutenant-General Fleetwood and other the Officers of the Armies in England Scotland and Ireland especially to such of them who in the sence of the dangers of the day have been of late as is said betaking themselves to that most necessary duty of solemn Addresses and fervent supplications to the Lord humbling their souls before him in the sence of their own and others abominations abounding in this day with unfeigned desire and endeavour to find out and forsake them accordingly with all others in the Armies that are or shall be found searching and trying their waies in order to return The following Narrative is humbly tendered by a late member of them and now a mourner for them yet unfeignedly desiring their prosperity in the path of repentance HAving understood that you have of late been much conversant in seeking the Lord in this day of distress and enquiring as becomes you into the causes of his displeasure against us which seems to wax hot all which if performed in a right sence observing right rules and ends may be of singular use to help in time of need Yet knowing the aptness of my own with others hearts to miscarry in such duties and thereby miss of the desired success by either setting up the stumbling-block of our iniquity before our eyes or having any secret regard thereto in our hearts the effect of which is to shut out prayer I held it my duty to contribute my mite to this work of weight by presenting you with a president once famous amongst us by the success the Lord crown'd it with and us in that path in a day of very great distress round about and desire that so far as you shall see this practise here presented with the method therein observed to agree with the revealed will of God contained in the Scripture relating to the duty of his people in such a posture that you will not be affraid to make it your patern since the Lord hath formerly born such a witness to it and written such blessing upon it as may well be set up as a Pillar of remembrance in the midst of us to his praise as well as our direction to and in like duties in future streights In the year 47. you may remember we in the Army were engaged in actions of a very high nature leading us to very untroden paths both in our contests with the then Parliament as also conferences with the King in which great works wanting a spirit of faith and the fear of the Lord and also unduly surprized with the fear of man which alwaies brings a snare we to make haste as we thought out of such perplexities measuring our way by a wisdom of our own fell into Treaties with the King and his party which proved such a snare to us and led into such labyrinths by the end of that year that the very things we thought to avoid by the means we used of our own devising were all with many more of a far worse and more perplexing nature brought back upon us to the overwhelming our spirits weakning our hands and hearts filling us with divisions confusions tumults and every evil work and thereby endangering the ruine of that blessed cause we had with such success been prospered in till this time for now the King and his party seeing us not answer their ends began to provide for themselves by a Treaty with the then Parliament set on foot about the beginning of 48. The Parliament also was at the same time highly displeased with us for what we had done both as to the King and themselves the good people likewise even our most cordial friends in the Nation beholding our turning aside from that path of simplicity we had formerly walkt and been blest in and thereby much endeared to their hearts began now to fear and withdraw their affections from us in this politick path into which we had stept and walkt in to our hurt the year before And as a farther fruit of the waies of our own backsliding hearts we were also filled with a spirit of great jealousie and divisions amongst our selves having left that wisdom of the word that is first pure and then peaceable that we were now fit for little but to tear and rend one another and thereby prepare our selves and the work in our hands to be ruined by the common Enemy as these that were ready to say as many others of like spirit in this day of the like sad occasions amongst us Lo this is the day we looked for The King and his party prepare accordingly to ruine all by suddain insurrections in most parts of the Nation the Scot concurring with the same designs comes in with a potent Army under Duke Hamilton We in the Army in a low weak divided perplext condition in all respects as aforesaid some of us judging it a duty to lay down Arms and quit our stations putting our selves into the capacities of private men since what we had done or was yet in our hearts to do tending as we judged to the good of these poor Nations was not accepted by them Some also encouraging themselves and us to such a thing by urging for such a practice the example of our Lord Jesus who when he had born an eminent Testimony to the pleasure of his Father in an active way sealed to it at last by his sufferings which was presented to us as our patern for imitation Others of us were different minded thinking somthing of another nature might be farther yet our duty and therefore were by joynt advice by a good hand of the Lord led to this result viz. to go solemnly to search out and humble our souls before the Lord in the sence of our iniquities which we were perswaded had provoked the Lord against us to bring such sad perplexities upon us as at that day out of which we saw no way else to extricate our selves Accordingly we did agree to meet at Windsore Castle about the beginning of 48. and there spent one day together in Prayer inquiring into the causes of that sad dispensation Coming to no farther

result that day but that it was still our duty to seek and on the morrow we met again in the morning where many spake from the Word and Prayed and the then Lieutenant-General Cromwell did press very earnestly on all there present to a thorough consideration of our actions as an Army as well as our waies particularly as private Christians to see if any iniquity could be found in them and what it was that if possible we might find out and so remove the cause of such sad rebukes as were upon us by reason of our iniquities as we judged at that time And the way more particularly the Lord led us to herein was to look back and consider what time it was that we could with joynt satisfaction say to the best of our Judgements the presence of the Lord was amongst us and rebukes and judgements were not as then upon us Which time the Lord led us joyntly to find out and agree in and having done so to proceed as we then judged it our duty to search into all our publick actions as an Army afterwards duly weighing as the Lord helpt us each of them with their Grounds Rules and Ends as neer as we could and so concluded this second day with agreeing to meet again on the morrow which we accordingly did upon the same occasion reassuming the consideration of our debates the day before and reviewing our actions again by which means we were by a gracious hand of the Lord led to find out the very steps as we were then all joyntly convinc'd by which we had departed from the Lord provoked him to depart from us which we found to be those cursed carnal conferences our own wisdom fears and want of faith had prompted us the year before to entertain with the King and his party And at this time and on this occasion did the then Major Goff as I remember was his title make use of that good word Prov. 1.23 Turn you at my reproof c. which we having found out our sin he urged as our duty from those words and the Lord so accompanied by his Spirit that it had a kindly effect like a word of his upon most of our hearts that were then present which begot in us great sence shame and loathing our selves for our iniquities and justifying the Lord as righteous in his proceedings against us and in this path the Lord led us not only to see our sin but also our duty and this so unanimously set with vveight upon each heart that none vvas able hardly to speak a vvord to each other for bitter vveeping partly in the sense and shame of our iniquities of unbelief base fear of men and carnal consultations as the fruit thereof vvith our ovvn vvisdoms and not vvith the vvord of the Lord vvhich only is a vvay of vvisdom strength and safety and all besides it vvaies of snares and yet vvere also helpt vvith fear and trembling to rejoyce in the Lord vvhose faithfulness and loving kindness vve vvere made to see yet fail'd us not but remembred us still even in our lovv estate because his mercy endures for ever Who no sooner brought us to his feet acknovvledging him in that vvay of his viz. searching for being ashamed of and vvilling to turn from our iniquities but he did direct our steps and presently we vvere led and helpt to a cleer agreement amongst our selves not any dissenting that it vvas the duty of our day with the forces we had to go out and fight against those potent enemies which that year in all places appeared against us with an humble confidence in the name of the Lord only that we should destroy them also enabling us then after serious seeking his face to come to a very cleer and joynt resolution on many grounds at large then debated amongst us that it was our duty if ever the Lord brought us back again in peace to call Charles Stuart that man of bloud to an account for that bloud he had shed and mischief he had done to his utmost against the Lords cause and people in these poor Nations and how the Lord led and prospered us in all our undertakings this year in this way cutting his work short in righteousness making it a year of mercy equal if not transcendent to any since these Wars began and making it worthy of remembrance by every gracious soul who was wife to observe the Lord and the operations of his hands I wish may never beforgotten bringing us together again from all parts shortly after with admiration each ones heart as it were filled with the wonders beheld and occasion given to all to say each to other Lo what hath God wrought the Kings Armies in all places broken his strong holds most of them taken he himself all that time treating with the then Parliament and both of them desirous to conclude yet by an over-ruling Providence hindred and the King so infatuated as he stands disputing Punctilio's till he loses all and himself with it and is fetcht away from his place of Treaty to a Prison in order to execution which suddenly followed accordingly and all this done within less then three quarters of a year even to astonishment of our selves and other beholders both at home and abroad yea our very enemies then were made to say God was amongst us of a truth and therefore they could not stand against us But alas who would have thought that so few years would have worn out the memory of such a not-to-be-forgotten mercy or that any of those that then saw his works and sang his praise should so soon forget what their eyes had seen as not to wait for his faithful counsel in future streights Yet behold how some directly and others consequentially are now saying All these things were but the product of a potent politick partie flusht with success and others though more modest moderate yet it 's to be feared in too eager a pursuit of falling in with or fear of being hurt by what is uppermost if not timely complying at once in the lump adventure to cry up absolute obedience to the powers that are though thereby they condemn themselves and others as transgressors and rebels for opposing those that were together with the whole series of action made glorious by Gods appearances with us beyond parallel of any late years and thus doth the name and works of the Lord suffer as Christ of old between these two who almost equally though not alike intentionally rob the Lord of his glory and give great occasion to the worst of our enemies the more to blaspheme This is the brief yet true account of this matter with the blessed effects of it as a manifestation of the Lords inclination disposition to poor returners who is still the same because he hath said and will perform it as in Jer. 29.12 13. Then shall ye call upon me and ye shall go and pray unto me and I will hearken unto